Ring
1800-1860 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Rings were an important part of the traditional dress of both men and women in 19th-century Italy. Like all Italian traditional jewellery, they often seem much more substantial than they really are. The Italians have always loved lavish display, and even for the poorest, a rich show of jewellery was all important. Italian goldsmiths were expert at making a little material go a very long way.
This ring was made to look like gold set with precious stones, but it is only gilded metal, with brightly coloured glass. It was bought for eight shillings as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
This ring was made to look like gold set with precious stones, but it is only gilded metal, with brightly coloured glass. It was bought for eight shillings as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gilded metal set with coloured pastes |
| Brief description | Gold-plated ring set with coloured pastes, Italy, 1800-1860. |
| Physical description | Ring consisting of a plain band, widening slightly at the shoulders, with a circular bezel set with a central facetted green paste, surrounded by a circle of slightly smaller similar pastes of various colours. |
| Dimensions |
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| Summary | Rings were an important part of the traditional dress of both men and women in 19th-century Italy. Like all Italian traditional jewellery, they often seem much more substantial than they really are. The Italians have always loved lavish display, and even for the poorest, a rich show of jewellery was all important. Italian goldsmiths were expert at making a little material go a very long way. This ring was made to look like gold set with precious stones, but it is only gilded metal, with brightly coloured glass. It was bought for eight shillings as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 443-1868 |
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| Record created | April 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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