Chain thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91 to 93 mezzanine, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Chain

18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In the 17th century, Russian men and women of all ranks wore long chains of heavy silver filigree. By the 19th century these chains had fallen out of fashion. Only priests, and people who wore traditional dress, continued to use them. It is impossible to date these chains accurately, as they remained unchanged for centuries, and are rarely marked.

Russian filigree chains are usually made from scrolls of wire soldered together to make individual links. This chain appears to be made of filigree, but is cast in imitation. At each end it has a long wedge-shaped terminal to hold a cross or pendant.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cast silver
Brief description
Long silver chain of imitation filigree links, Russia, 18th century.
Physical description
Long chain of oval cast openwork links, imitating filigree, each with an applied lozenge on the centre of each side. Cast terminals.
Dimensions
  • Length: 98.8cm
  • Width: 0.8cm
  • Depth: 0.3cm
Summary
In the 17th century, Russian men and women of all ranks wore long chains of heavy silver filigree. By the 19th century these chains had fallen out of fashion. Only priests, and people who wore traditional dress, continued to use them. It is impossible to date these chains accurately, as they remained unchanged for centuries, and are rarely marked.

Russian filigree chains are usually made from scrolls of wire soldered together to make individual links. This chain appears to be made of filigree, but is cast in imitation. At each end it has a long wedge-shaped terminal to hold a cross or pendant.
Collection
Accession number
133-1866

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Record createdMarch 7, 2008
Record URL
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