Cross
1780-1820 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Crosses are the most distinctive element in French traditional jewellery. Every French woman owned one. They usually wore them on a black velvet ribbon, fastened tightly round the neck like a choker, with a slide at the front. The ribbon passes through the bale of the cross, and is then threaded through a hole or loop at the base of the slide, and out at either side. It is tied in a bow at the back of the neck.
This cross was described as 18th century, from Normandy, when it was given to the museum in 1911. It is shaped like a croix de Saint-Lô, and has hollow silver facetted bosses, like a traditional croix bosse, but the smooth backs of the bosses suggest that it is a croix Capucine or Maintenon from Provence. It is unmarked, but probably dates from the late 18th or early 19th century.
This cross was described as 18th century, from Normandy, when it was given to the museum in 1911. It is shaped like a croix de Saint-Lô, and has hollow silver facetted bosses, like a traditional croix bosse, but the smooth backs of the bosses suggest that it is a croix Capucine or Maintenon from Provence. It is unmarked, but probably dates from the late 18th or early 19th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Sheet silver with facetted bosses |
| Brief description | Silver cross with hollow bosses on a pierced tracery (croix Capucine), Provence (France), 1780-1820. |
| Physical description | Silver two-part cross of stylised form, made from openwork tracery with hollow facetted bosses on the front, with matching slide. The cross is in two parts. The larger has four large circular bosses, surrounded by numerous small ones. It has a drop hanging from its lower edge with a similar pear-shaped boss. The slide is triangular in shape, and has an open triangular fitting on the back for suspension. The slide is attached to the cross by a bolt-ring, which is not original. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Miss Edith J. Hipkins |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Crosses are the most distinctive element in French traditional jewellery. Every French woman owned one. They usually wore them on a black velvet ribbon, fastened tightly round the neck like a choker, with a slide at the front. The ribbon passes through the bale of the cross, and is then threaded through a hole or loop at the base of the slide, and out at either side. It is tied in a bow at the back of the neck. This cross was described as 18th century, from Normandy, when it was given to the museum in 1911. It is shaped like a croix de Saint-Lô, and has hollow silver facetted bosses, like a traditional croix bosse, but the smooth backs of the bosses suggest that it is a croix Capucine or Maintenon from Provence. It is unmarked, but probably dates from the late 18th or early 19th century. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.429-1911 |
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| Record created | November 1, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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