Bacchanalia

Antique Corallo Sciacca Earrings in the Archaeological Style, after 1875

€ 3,290.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Antique Corallo Sciacca Earrings in the Archaeological Style, after 1875

Description

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

Archaeological style jewellery was in fashion throughout the 1860s and 1870s. With their modern society gowns, ladies wore pieces reminiscent of a time long, long before their own era. Golden laurels adorned their brows, shiny amphorae dangled from their ears and necks. Elaborate granulation brought the world of the ancient peoples back to life in modern gaslight, while coral was one of the most popular gemstones of these years, and not just for aesthetic reasons: as a stylistic device, it built a direct bridge to the ancient treasures of Italy, as it was harvested off its Mediterranean coast. Four elements were carved from coral for these earrings. Two amphorae and two rams' heads are reminiscent of the ancient Bacchanalia, the orgiastic processions of Bacchus – the god of wine, intoxication and madness, in whose honour wine flowed and rams were sacrificed. The corals are mounted in gold ornaments, whose rich sheen shimmers like the gold of ancient peoples thanks to additional fine gilding. Hand-curved gold swirls and dangling spheres enliven the magnificent design with their richness of detail. The coral is orange-red, so-called "Corallo Sciacca", which was discovered off the town of the same name in Sicily in 1875. The earrings were probably created shortly afterwards. Under the pretext of classical education, even daring themes such as the Bacchanalia became socially acceptable in Victorian society. By means of small details such as jewellery, contemporaries were able to dream themselves out of the strict corset of rules of their time and into a supposedly freer past. A fantastic pair of earrings that tells of the dreams of Victorian society. We discovered it in London, and it was probably also made in Britain.

Size & Details

Bacchanalia

€ 3,290.00 ^*

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.

Learn more

Bacchanalia

Earrings

Privacy settings