Bracelet thumbnail 1
Bracelet thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Bracelet

ca. 1860 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The archaeological excavations of the 19th century provided new inspiration for jewellers. This bracelet shows a scene of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal sacrificing on his return from a lion hunt. This subject is taken from a relief that was excavated by Sir A.H. Layard and displayed in the British Museum. Archaeological-style jewellery was particularly admired in intellectual circles from around 1860 until at least the 1880s.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Gold, with a steatite cylinder seal
Brief description
Gold bracelet with applied decoration representing Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria, after a relief in the British Museum, by John Brogden, England, about 1860
Physical description
Gold bracelet with applied decoration representing Ashurbanipal (668-627 BC), King of Assyria, sacrificing on his return from a lion hunt, after a relief in the British Museum. On the clasp, a Babylonian cylinder in steatite. Maker's mark of John Brogden.
Dimensions
  • Height: 4.2cm
  • Width: 6.6cm
  • Depth: 6.6cm
  • Seal height: 3cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
(Maker's mark of John Brogden.)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Mrs Harriet Bolckow
Object history
Applied decoration representing Ashurbanipal (668-627 BC), King of Assyria, sacrificing on his return from a lion hunt, after a relief in the British Museum. On the clasp, a Babylonian cylinder in steatite. The Assyrian sculptures in the British Museum excavated by Sir A.H. Layard were a source of inspiration to many designers. Layard published Nineveh and its Remains (1848-9) and Nineveh and Babylon (1853).
Subjects depicted
Summary
The archaeological excavations of the 19th century provided new inspiration for jewellers. This bracelet shows a scene of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal sacrificing on his return from a lion hunt. This subject is taken from a relief that was excavated by Sir A.H. Layard and displayed in the British Museum. Archaeological-style jewellery was particularly admired in intellectual circles from around 1860 until at least the 1880s.
Collection
Accession number
735-1890

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Record createdFebruary 25, 2003
Record URL
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