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Brooch

1823-1853 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Although traditional jewellery was worn throughout Sweden, and has a distinct Swedish character, there are marked differences between the different provinces. Skåne province, in the extreme south of Sweden, has the richest tradition, and more jewellery was worn there than in any other district. Almost all the Swedish traditional jewellery at the V&A comes from Skåne.

Circular and heart-shaped ring brooches are medieval in origin and found throughout northern Europe. They differ from modern brooches in the way they fasten. The wearer pulls the cloth of the garment through the central hole, and then spears it with the pin. The greater the strain on the pin, the more secure the fastening. In this brooch, the pin has been bent back so that it lies on the back of the ring, so that now it is not functional.

This ring brooch is a plain circle decorated with filigree coil rings, each topped with a small lozenge alternating with a granule. This kind of decoration is typical of Skåne work in the first half of the 19th century, as is the little ring holding the pin. The brooch was made to hold a woman's shirt closed at the collar. It is marked with the maker's mark OL. Olaus Liander was a silversmith who worked in Ystad from 1823-1853. Ystad was the main centre for the production of traditional jewellery of all kinds in Skåne in the 19th century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver with applied filigree
Brief description
Silver ring brooch with applied filigree decoration, Ystad (Sweden), 1823-1853.
Physical description
Ring brooch, consisting of a flat circle of sheet silver decorated with a row of coil rings topped with alternating granules and lozenges. The tang is a strip of flat silver hooked at one end through a ring attached to the inner edge of the brooch. The tang has been bent backwards so it now lies on the underside of the brooch.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 4.6cm
  • Depth: 0.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'O L' in rectangular frame. (Marked twice on back.)
    Translation
    Mark of Olaus Liander, of Ystad.
  • Irregular figure in a rectangular frame. (On back.)
    Translation
    Probably the griffin mark of Ystad.
Summary
Although traditional jewellery was worn throughout Sweden, and has a distinct Swedish character, there are marked differences between the different provinces. Skåne province, in the extreme south of Sweden, has the richest tradition, and more jewellery was worn there than in any other district. Almost all the Swedish traditional jewellery at the V&A comes from Skåne.

Circular and heart-shaped ring brooches are medieval in origin and found throughout northern Europe. They differ from modern brooches in the way they fasten. The wearer pulls the cloth of the garment through the central hole, and then spears it with the pin. The greater the strain on the pin, the more secure the fastening. In this brooch, the pin has been bent back so that it lies on the back of the ring, so that now it is not functional.

This ring brooch is a plain circle decorated with filigree coil rings, each topped with a small lozenge alternating with a granule. This kind of decoration is typical of Skåne work in the first half of the 19th century, as is the little ring holding the pin. The brooch was made to hold a woman's shirt closed at the collar. It is marked with the maker's mark OL. Olaus Liander was a silversmith who worked in Ystad from 1823-1853. Ystad was the main centre for the production of traditional jewellery of all kinds in Skåne in the 19th century.
Collection
Accession number
515-1886

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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