Breast Ornament
ca. 1620-1630 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
From 1620 to 1640 fashionable women in western Europe wore a single large jewel on their bodice. This particular jewel has neither a pin nor loop fastening. It would simply have been stitched to the fabric of the gown.
The swirling botanical design is characteristic of the cosse de pois (pea pod) style. This originated in France, where ornamental designs were published featuring highly stylised arrangements of leaves, stems and buds. Balthasar Lemercier and Jacques Caillart of Paris and Peter Symony of Strasbourg made designs for goldsmiths' work in this style. The style’s popularity peaked in the 1620s and 1630s. However the taste for botanical motifs continued to evolve through the century.
The swirling botanical design is characteristic of the cosse de pois (pea pod) style. This originated in France, where ornamental designs were published featuring highly stylised arrangements of leaves, stems and buds. Balthasar Lemercier and Jacques Caillart of Paris and Peter Symony of Strasbourg made designs for goldsmiths' work in this style. The style’s popularity peaked in the 1620s and 1630s. However the taste for botanical motifs continued to evolve through the century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Enamelled gold, set with 208 table-cut and triangular point-cut diamonds |
| Brief description | Breast ornament, enamelled gold set with diamonds, probably France, about 1620-30. |
| Physical description | An imposing ornament of diamonds set in enamelled gold openwork, with five pendants hanging from the lower edge. The design is of botanical inspiration with curling foliage around a central rosette. It is constructed in three stages: the back plate enamelled in black; a front plate set with diamonds and enamelled in white and black; and the central diamond-set rosette. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Dame Joan Evans |
| Historical context | Rubens' portrait of his second wife Hélène Fourment (Alte Pinakothek, Munich) shows her wearing a similar ornament. |
| Production | Dutch |
| Summary | From 1620 to 1640 fashionable women in western Europe wore a single large jewel on their bodice. This particular jewel has neither a pin nor loop fastening. It would simply have been stitched to the fabric of the gown. The swirling botanical design is characteristic of the cosse de pois (pea pod) style. This originated in France, where ornamental designs were published featuring highly stylised arrangements of leaves, stems and buds. Balthasar Lemercier and Jacques Caillart of Paris and Peter Symony of Strasbourg made designs for goldsmiths' work in this style. The style’s popularity peaked in the 1620s and 1630s. However the taste for botanical motifs continued to evolve through the century. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.143-1975 |
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| Record created | March 14, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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