Earring
1800-1867 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Italian women have always loved lavish display. 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 earring looks impressive, but it is only made of metal gilded to look like gold.
All Italian women wore gold earrings. Their shapes varied widely in different places. This earring was acquired in Samnium as a piece of traditional Italian jewellery, but it is more typical of the kind of fashionable jewellery which was worn all over Europe in the 19th century. It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
All Italian women wore gold earrings. Their shapes varied widely in different places. This earring was acquired in Samnium as a piece of traditional Italian jewellery, but it is more typical of the kind of fashionable jewellery which was worn all over Europe in the 19th century. It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Stamped gilt metal pendant hanging from a silver-gilt boss |
| Brief description | Gilt metal pendant earring, Samnium (Italy), 1800-1867. |
| Physical description | Earring, consisting of a facetted hollow shuttle-shaped bead on the front of a hinged wire. From the wire hangs a long conical hollow pendant, covered all over with a stamped pattern of dots, with a rounded end at the base. A motif of imitation filigree rosettes and leaves is attached to the front of the pendant, and there is another rosette on the base, with a small pendant ball hanging from it. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production | Worn in Samnium |
| Summary | Italian women have always loved lavish display. 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 earring looks impressive, but it is only made of metal gilded to look like gold. All Italian women wore gold earrings. Their shapes varied widely in different places. This earring was acquired in Samnium as a piece of traditional Italian jewellery, but it is more typical of the kind of fashionable jewellery which was worn all over Europe in the 19th century. It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867. |
| Bibliographic reference | 'Italian Jewellery as worn by the Peasants of Italy', Arundel Society, London, 1868, Plate 9 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 206-1868 |
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| Record created | May 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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