Clasp
1820-1850 (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.
A well-dressed woman from Skåne wore multiple pairs of silver clasps along the front edges of her outer clothes. Some of these were functional, and hooked into each other. Others were purely ornamental.
Heart-shaped clasps like these were originally worn as cloak clasps, but by the 19th century they had moved to the outer jacket, and were often purely decorative. Clasps decorated with filigree were a speciality of the silversmiths in Lund and Ystad. This clasp is marked with the letters AA, but it is not known who made it.
A well-dressed woman from Skåne wore multiple pairs of silver clasps along the front edges of her outer clothes. Some of these were functional, and hooked into each other. Others were purely ornamental.
Heart-shaped clasps like these were originally worn as cloak clasps, but by the 19th century they had moved to the outer jacket, and were often purely decorative. Clasps decorated with filigree were a speciality of the silversmiths in Lund and Ystad. This clasp is marked with the letters AA, but it is not known who made it.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver set with red and blue pastes, and decorated with applied filigree |
| Brief description | Silver clasp decorated with applied filigree and set with red and blue pastes, Skåne (Sweden), 1820-1850. |
| Physical description | Two-part silver filigree clasp, shaped like two hearts, set with three facetted blue pastes surrounding a pear-shaped red paste on each part. The filigree is riveted to the back plate. There is a flat loop on one part, and a corresponding hook facing forwards, with geometric decoration on its face, on the other. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Illegible letters in a rectangular frame, possibly 'A A'. (Marked twice on back of each part.)
|
| 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. A well-dressed woman from Skåne wore multiple pairs of silver clasps along the front edges of her outer clothes. Some of these were functional, and hooked into each other. Others were purely ornamental. Heart-shaped clasps like these were originally worn as cloak clasps, but by the 19th century they had moved to the outer jacket, and were often purely decorative. Clasps decorated with filigree were a speciality of the silversmiths in Lund and Ystad. This clasp is marked with the letters AA, but it is not known who made it. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 455-1886 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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