Buckle
19th century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This is the buckle worn by Elfrida Elizabeth Bird, Mrs Luke Ionides, in a portrait painted in 1879. The artist was William Blake Richmond (1842-1921). The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired the painting in 2003 (E.1062-2003). The buckle looks golden in the portrait, and there are still traces of gilding on the buckle, but much of it has worn off over the years.
The buckle is composed of three plaques of openwork foliage and strapwork around figures of the three Theological Virtues: Faith, with cross and chalice, Hope, with an anchor, and Charity, with two children. The buckle may be converted from an old Dutch book clasp. Clasps were imported from the mid 1870s by retailers such as Walter Thornhill of 144, New Bond Street, London. It is of a design which appears within a few years to have been copied by late 19th century manufacturers. Almost identical silver buckles were illustrated in trade catalogues issued by Mappin & Webb Ltd (1900) and Saunders & Shepherd Ltd (1903–4).
The buckle is composed of three plaques of openwork foliage and strapwork around figures of the three Theological Virtues: Faith, with cross and chalice, Hope, with an anchor, and Charity, with two children. The buckle may be converted from an old Dutch book clasp. Clasps were imported from the mid 1870s by retailers such as Walter Thornhill of 144, New Bond Street, London. It is of a design which appears within a few years to have been copied by late 19th century manufacturers. Almost identical silver buckles were illustrated in trade catalogues issued by Mappin & Webb Ltd (1900) and Saunders & Shepherd Ltd (1903–4).
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Materials and techniques | Cast silver-gilt |
Brief description | Buckle, England, ca.1879. Previous loan number - LOAN:J IONIDES.1:1-2002 Buckle end, England, ca.1879. Previous loan number - LOAN:JIONIDES.1:2-2002 |
Physical description | Silver-gilt buckle of openwork design composed of three plaques containing figures, scrolling foliage and strapwork. In the plaque on the left is a seated figure of Faith holding cross and chalice. She sits beneath a broad 'C' scroll and on a platform supported by an urn. The central plaque, which is hinged to the plaque on the left, has a seated figure of Hope with an anchor. The central plaque has a hasp (now broken) to attach it to a plaque on the right which has a seated figure of Charity with two children and is otherwise similar to the plaque containing Faith. The gilding has largely been off both back and front of the buckle. There are two loops for attaching a belt on the back of the buckle. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given by Julia Ionides |
Object history | This is the buckle worn by Elfrida Elizabeth Bird, Mrs Luke Ionides, in a portrait painted in 1879 by William Blake Richmond (1842-1921) which was acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2003 (E.1062-2003). The buckle has descended to Julia Ionides, who has donated it to the Museum. The buckle is directly related to silver buckles illustrated in trade catalogues issued by Mappin & Webb Ltd and Saunders & Shepherd Ltd (see references). There are minor differences. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This is the buckle worn by Elfrida Elizabeth Bird, Mrs Luke Ionides, in a portrait painted in 1879. The artist was William Blake Richmond (1842-1921). The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired the painting in 2003 (E.1062-2003). The buckle looks golden in the portrait, and there are still traces of gilding on the buckle, but much of it has worn off over the years. The buckle is composed of three plaques of openwork foliage and strapwork around figures of the three Theological Virtues: Faith, with cross and chalice, Hope, with an anchor, and Charity, with two children. The buckle may be converted from an old Dutch book clasp. Clasps were imported from the mid 1870s by retailers such as Walter Thornhill of 144, New Bond Street, London. It is of a design which appears within a few years to have been copied by late 19th century manufacturers. Almost identical silver buckles were illustrated in trade catalogues issued by Mappin & Webb Ltd (1900) and Saunders & Shepherd Ltd (1903–4). |
Bibliographic reference | Hinks, Peter (introduction by). Victorian Jewellery. London: Studio Editions, 1991. |
Collection | |
Accession number | M.1:1-2004 |
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Record created | January 30, 2004 |
Record URL |
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