Hair Ornament
1870-1900 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the mid-19th century the goldsmiths of Piedmont developed an elaborate style of filigree hair ornament, based on a thin net of woven silver wire. These delicate headdresses were worn in villages throughout the foothills of the Italian Alps until the early 20th century. Like all Italian headdresses, they were first worn at marriage, and after that on feast days and special occasions.
The burletto or stella was worn on the back of the head, to cover the coiled braids of the wearer's hair. It was held in place by matching hair pins with filigree heads, and accompanied by a filigree hair band across the brow.
This burletto was given to the V&A by Estella Canziani and her father Enrico. She was a professional painter who was also passionately interested in the traditions of northwest Italy. She wrote several books on the songs and culture of the region.
The burletto or stella was worn on the back of the head, to cover the coiled braids of the wearer's hair. It was held in place by matching hair pins with filigree heads, and accompanied by a filigree hair band across the brow.
This burletto was given to the V&A by Estella Canziani and her father Enrico. She was a professional painter who was also passionately interested in the traditions of northwest Italy. She wrote several books on the songs and culture of the region.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver-gilt filigree |
| Brief description | Silver-gilt filigree chignon ornament (burletto), Piedmont (Italy), 19th century. |
| Physical description | Oval filigree frame, consisting of an outer ring of rosettes on a wire framework, surrounding a ring of leaves and flowers on wire stalks with a central oval of stylised leaves, all made from netted wire. The flowers are decorated with gilt oak leaves and pendant filigree triangles. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Estella and Enrico Canziani |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | In the mid-19th century the goldsmiths of Piedmont developed an elaborate style of filigree hair ornament, based on a thin net of woven silver wire. These delicate headdresses were worn in villages throughout the foothills of the Italian Alps until the early 20th century. Like all Italian headdresses, they were first worn at marriage, and after that on feast days and special occasions. The burletto or stella was worn on the back of the head, to cover the coiled braids of the wearer's hair. It was held in place by matching hair pins with filigree heads, and accompanied by a filigree hair band across the brow. This burletto was given to the V&A by Estella Canziani and her father Enrico. She was a professional painter who was also passionately interested in the traditions of northwest Italy. She wrote several books on the songs and culture of the region. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.525-1924 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
