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Clasp

1834-1859 (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 pair has the maker's mark JW. Jonas Wahlberg was a silversmith who worked in Ystad from 1834 to 1859.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Sheet silver with silver filigree applique set with red and green pastes
Brief description
Silver filigree clasp set with red and green pastes, Skåne (Sweden), 1834-1859.
Physical description
Two-part silver filigree clasp, shaped like two hearts, set with a large pear-shaped red paste in the centre of each part, and three smaller circular green and red pastes round it. The filigree is clipped to the back plate at the sides. There is a flat loop on one part, and a corresponding hook facing forwards, with geometric decoration engraved on its face, on the other.
Dimensions
  • Height: 4.0cm
  • Width: 9.7cm
  • Depth: 0.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'J.W' in rectangular frame. (Marked twice on back of each part.)
    Translation
    Mark of Jonas Wahlberg, of Ystad.
  • 'III' and 'VII' (Scratched on the back, one on each part.)
    Translation
    Part marks
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 pair has the maker's mark JW. Jonas Wahlberg was a silversmith who worked in Ystad from 1834 to 1859.
Collection
Accession number
447-1886

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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