Necklace
1800-1867 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The production of coral jewellery has been a major industry in the south of Italy since prehistoric times. Tourists loved to buy coral jewellery in fashionable shapes, but it was also very popular with Italian women, who valued it for its colour and amuletic qualities. Coral branches were often left in a natural state for amulets, but beads for necklaces were always shaped, as here. Although this necklace looks as if it has been made from natural, unworked coral, each of the beads is carefully carved into a shape like a tiny diabolo, with a small knob at each end, and a hole through the narrow part of the centre.
This necklace was acquired in Genoa as a piece of traditional Italian jewellery, but it is more typical of the kind of fashionable jewellery which was worn all over Europe in the 19th century. The design of this long open-ended necklace, called a negligée, was never part of traditional costume in Italy.
It was bought for £1 as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
This necklace was acquired in Genoa as a piece of traditional Italian jewellery, but it is more typical of the kind of fashionable jewellery which was worn all over Europe in the 19th century. The design of this long open-ended necklace, called a negligée, was never part of traditional costume in Italy.
It was bought for £1 as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved coral beads |
| Brief description | Coral negligée necklace, with coral tassles at the ends, Genoa (Italy), 1800-1867. |
| Physical description | String of coral beads, consisting of six sections of triple strands, separated from each other by larger beads in the shape of an acorn. At each end are three loops of coral beads. Each of the beads is shaped like a tiny diabolo, with a small knob at each end, and a hole through the narrow part of the centre, so that the string appears, at first glance, to be made of natural, unworked coral. |
| Dimensions |
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| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The production of coral jewellery has been a major industry in the south of Italy since prehistoric times. Tourists loved to buy coral jewellery in fashionable shapes, but it was also very popular with Italian women, who valued it for its colour and amuletic qualities. Coral branches were often left in a natural state for amulets, but beads for necklaces were always shaped, as here. Although this necklace looks as if it has been made from natural, unworked coral, each of the beads is carefully carved into a shape like a tiny diabolo, with a small knob at each end, and a hole through the narrow part of the centre. This necklace was acquired in Genoa as a piece of traditional Italian jewellery, but it is more typical of the kind of fashionable jewellery which was worn all over Europe in the 19th century. The design of this long open-ended necklace, called a negligée, was never part of traditional costume in Italy. It was bought for £1 as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867. |
| Bibliographic reference | 'Italian Jewellery as worn by the Peasants of Italy', Arundel Society, London, 1868, Plate 1 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 415-1868 |
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| Record created | April 3, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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