Comb
ca. 1808 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
By tradition this piece, part of a set, is believed to have belonged to Caroline Murat (1782-1839), Queen of Naples. Their accompanying leather box is stamped with a crowned 'C' in gold.
Documentary evidence in the archives of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence and in the archives in Naples suggest that this parure, or set of jewelry, may have been produced in either centre. Hardstone mosaic techniques (commessi di pietre dure) emerged in Florence, where Ferdinand de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, founded the Grand Ducal workshop (Opificio delle Pietre Dure) in 1588. It still operates today under the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage.
The production of stone mosaics with the Florentine technique began in Naples in the seventeenth century primarily in response to commissions for ecclesiastical objects to adorn church interiors and devotional objects. In 1737 an official court workshop, Real Laboratorio delle Pietre Dure, was established in Naples by Charles VII (King of Naples and later Charles III of Spain).The technique, however, is of extremely fine quality and in the vein of the production from the Florentine Grand Ducal workshops.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Documentary evidence in the archives of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence and in the archives in Naples suggest that this parure, or set of jewelry, may have been produced in either centre. Hardstone mosaic techniques (commessi di pietre dure) emerged in Florence, where Ferdinand de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, founded the Grand Ducal workshop (Opificio delle Pietre Dure) in 1588. It still operates today under the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage.
The production of stone mosaics with the Florentine technique began in Naples in the seventeenth century primarily in response to commissions for ecclesiastical objects to adorn church interiors and devotional objects. In 1737 an official court workshop, Real Laboratorio delle Pietre Dure, was established in Naples by Charles VII (King of Naples and later Charles III of Spain).The technique, however, is of extremely fine quality and in the vein of the production from the Florentine Grand Ducal workshops.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Commessi di pietre dure (hardstone mosaics), lapis lazuli, chalcedony, calcedonio di Volterra (some burnt to deepen the colour) gold; the ‘pearls’ made from half-beads of rock crystal, set with the flat surface up, and the underside coated with silver leaf |
| Brief description | Gold and stone mosaic comb, Naples or Florence, ca. 1808. |
| Physical description | Gold comb set with three lapis lazuli plaques with shells and pearls in stone mosaic, the plaques set a-jour on fossilized coral |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: Probably Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples. Delessert family. Marthe Bocher. Jacques Kugel, Paris, 1975. |
| Production | Documentary evidence in the archives of the Opificio in Florence and in the archives in Naples both suggest that the parure may have been produced in either centre. The comb has a French import mark used after 1893. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | By tradition this piece, part of a set, is believed to have belonged to Caroline Murat (1782-1839), Queen of Naples. Their accompanying leather box is stamped with a crowned 'C' in gold. Documentary evidence in the archives of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence and in the archives in Naples suggest that this parure, or set of jewelry, may have been produced in either centre. Hardstone mosaic techniques (commessi di pietre dure) emerged in Florence, where Ferdinand de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, founded the Grand Ducal workshop (Opificio delle Pietre Dure) in 1588. It still operates today under the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage. The production of stone mosaics with the Florentine technique began in Naples in the seventeenth century primarily in response to commissions for ecclesiastical objects to adorn church interiors and devotional objects. In 1737 an official court workshop, Real Laboratorio delle Pietre Dure, was established in Naples by Charles VII (King of Naples and later Charles III of Spain).The technique, however, is of extremely fine quality and in the vein of the production from the Florentine Grand Ducal workshops. Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996. |
| Associated objects | |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.166-2008 |
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| Record created | June 19, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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