Brooch thumbnail 1
Brooch thumbnail 2
+1
images

Brooch

ca. 1610-1620 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Rings and other types of jewels were popular as tokens of love in the 1600s. This design of a heart pierced by arrows refers to Cupid and was widely used from the Renaissance. Cupid is the cherubic son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. He shoots his arrows into people's hearts which makes them fall in love. This jewelled locket was probably made in Prague, in a workshop of the Imperial Habsburg court.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Enamelled gold, set with table-cut diamonds, rubies and emeralds. Miniature painting in oil in metal
Brief description
A round brooch of enamelled gold, set with table-cut diamonds, rubies and emeralds.
Physical description
A jewelled locket of enamelled gold, set with table-cut diamonds, rubies and emeralds. In the centre, a ruby is set in a heart-shaped gold frame and pierced by two arrows. A locket in the back of the jewel contains the miniature portrait of a man.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 6.0cm
  • Height: 6cm
  • Width: 6.3cm
  • Depth: 2.2cm
Credit line
Given by the Countess Harley Teleki
Subjects depicted
Summary
Rings and other types of jewels were popular as tokens of love in the 1600s. This design of a heart pierced by arrows refers to Cupid and was widely used from the Renaissance. Cupid is the cherubic son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. He shoots his arrows into people's hearts which makes them fall in love. This jewelled locket was probably made in Prague, in a workshop of the Imperial Habsburg court.
Bibliographic reference
Munn, Geoffrey 'The triumph of love', (London, 1993), p. 35
Collection
Accession number
M.461-1936

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdFebruary 11, 2003
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest