Ring Brooch thumbnail 1

Ring Brooch

19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The ring brooch was the most important piece of jewellery in Norwegian traditional dress. Ring brooches can be circular or heart-shaped, and their design dates from the Middle Ages. They differ from modern brooches in the way they fasten. The wearer pulls the cloth of the garment through the central hole, and then spears it with the pin. The greater the strain on the pin, the more secure the fastening. Ring brooches were worn throughout Norway in the 18th and 19th century. Their shape and pattern varied by district and use. They were worn by men, women, and children.

There are well over 50 different names for brooches in Norwegian. Each kind of brooch has its own distinctive name, some of which date back to the Middle Ages.

A vestlandssølje is a hybrid kind of brooch introduced at the beginning of the 19th century. It has a base like the back plate of a bolesølje, with stylised faces on it like those on a glibbsølje. These brooches are almost always gilded, and covered with pendants, so it is sometimes difficult to see the basic shape of the brooch at all.

They were worn, as their name implies, throughout the west of Norway.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Stamped and engraved silver, partly gilded
Brief description
Circular ring brooch (vestlandssølje) of gilded silver with pendant discs, Norway, 19th century.
Physical description
A circular ring brooch made of sheet silver stamped and engraved with a pattern of six shallow domes, separated by triangular points. On each of the points and domes there is a loop with a pendant disc (one missing). The tang is lightly engraved with hatched lines.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 6.4cm
  • Length: 7.3cm
  • Depth: 1.3cm
Production
Mainly worn in the west of Norway
Summary
The ring brooch was the most important piece of jewellery in Norwegian traditional dress. Ring brooches can be circular or heart-shaped, and their design dates from the Middle Ages. They differ from modern brooches in the way they fasten. The wearer pulls the cloth of the garment through the central hole, and then spears it with the pin. The greater the strain on the pin, the more secure the fastening. Ring brooches were worn throughout Norway in the 18th and 19th century. Their shape and pattern varied by district and use. They were worn by men, women, and children.

There are well over 50 different names for brooches in Norwegian. Each kind of brooch has its own distinctive name, some of which date back to the Middle Ages.

A vestlandssølje is a hybrid kind of brooch introduced at the beginning of the 19th century. It has a base like the back plate of a bolesølje, with stylised faces on it like those on a glibbsølje. These brooches are almost always gilded, and covered with pendants, so it is sometimes difficult to see the basic shape of the brooch at all.

They were worn, as their name implies, throughout the west of Norway.
Collection
Accession number
MET.LOST.494

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Record createdJuly 6, 2007
Record URL
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