Gilded Beauty

Antique Georgian Longchain in Gilded Metal, c. 1830

€ 1,290.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Antique Georgian Longchain in Gilded Metal, c. 1830

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

The large décolletés of the ball gowns and evening dresses of the first decades of the 19th century gave jewelry fashion throughout Europe necklaces of a length that had never been seen before. These pieces, which were simply called "longchains" in England, were worn in a variety of ways. They could be worn single or multiple times around the neck or across the shoulder. They were attached to the dress with a brooch to form two garlands or were also wrapped boldly around the hips. The portrait of Madame Jacques-Louis Leblanc by Ingres, created in the early 1820s, is just one example of many from the field of portrait painting. The Madame wears her necklace around her neck and then wide across her chest to her stomach, with the necklace threaded through a pendant that she has attached to her belt below her chest. The painting is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, see here. Necklaces from these years usually have massive-looking, rather large links, although they are always lightly worked, as gold and silver were expensive and wanted to be used effectively but sparingly. The links are therefore made of embossed gold and often feature geometric patterns in beautiful relief. The clasps of these longchains are often small masterpieces of goldsmithing: sometimes in the form of small spindles set with gemstones, or as a gloved lady's hand - and often with rings set with gemstones! This necklace is a spectacular-looking representative of this type of jewelry and has all the characteristics described in the literature. With one difference: it is not made of gold, but of gold-plated metal and glass in the color of turquoise! Brass alloys such as pinchbeck or tombac were often used for jewellery in the early 19th century. Nevertheless, examination with a magnifying glass shows that this necklace was also made by hand. Each of the links, formed from a semicircular sheet of metal studded with small flowers, has been soldered to the next by hand. And there are many links, as the chain is more than a meter long! The necklace is therefore an antique original, just made from less expensive materials. It is all the more astonishing how well the necklace has been preserved. We were able to acquire the necklace from a collection in the Rhineland.

Size & Details

Gilded Beauty

€ 1,290.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.

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