Necklet
1780-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This necklace with its strictly symmetrical bow from which hang five loops suspending an equally symmetrical bow and pendant is a characteristic neo-classical Portugese design of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It forms part of a demi-parure - a half set of jewels - which includes a pair of long earrings of pendoloque type (long pear-shaped pendants beneath bows). Gone are the freedom of design and sometimes asymmetry of the mid-eighteenth century jewels influenced by the rococo.
The effect is of brilliance and light. The stones are white and set in silver to enhance their whiteness. They might have been diamonds, but, if they had been, they would probably have been reset into new fashions many times since. This set of jewels owes its survival to the fact that the stones are white topaz.
The effect is of brilliance and light. The stones are white and set in silver to enhance their whiteness. They might have been diamonds, but, if they had been, they would probably have been reset into new fashions many times since. This set of jewels owes its survival to the fact that the stones are white topaz.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | White topaz set in silver |
| Brief description | Necklet, white topaz set in silver openwork, with a long pendant, Portugal, 1780-1800. |
| Physical description | Necklet, white topaz set in silver openwork, with a long pendant suspended from a complex bow. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mrs A. E.Stuart |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mrs Ada Eliza Stuart, who died in 1928. In her will described as 'my old Spanish necklace'. |
| Historical context | This necklace with its strictly symmetrical bow from which hang five loops suspending an equally symmetrical bow and pendant is a characteristic neo-classical Portugese design of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It forms part of a demi-parure - a half set of jewels - which also includes a pair of long earrings of pendoloque type centred by bows. Gone are the naturalism and sometimes asymmetry of the mid eighteenth jewels influenced by the rococo. The effect is of brilliance and light. The stones are white and set in silver to enhance their whiteness. They are cut like brilliant-cut diamonds and might have been diamonds, but, if they had been, they would probably have been reset into new fashions many times since. This set of jewels owes its survival to the fact that the stones are white topaz. |
| Summary | This necklace with its strictly symmetrical bow from which hang five loops suspending an equally symmetrical bow and pendant is a characteristic neo-classical Portugese design of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It forms part of a demi-parure - a half set of jewels - which includes a pair of long earrings of pendoloque type (long pear-shaped pendants beneath bows). Gone are the freedom of design and sometimes asymmetry of the mid-eighteenth century jewels influenced by the rococo. The effect is of brilliance and light. The stones are white and set in silver to enhance their whiteness. They might have been diamonds, but, if they had been, they would probably have been reset into new fashions many times since. This set of jewels owes its survival to the fact that the stones are white topaz. |
| Bibliographic reference | Bury, Shirley. Jewellery Gallery Summary Catalogue. London: V&A, 1982. p. 100, Case 16 Board B no. 2 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.104-1930 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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