Close to the Heart

Victorian Medallion Pendant With Pearl & Blue Enamel on Gold, ca. 1875

€ 1,890.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Victorian Medallion Pendant With Pearl & Blue Enamel on Gold, ca. 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!

So ubiquitous were lockets of all shapes for a time that in 1870 the London Society magazine published a humorous cartoon by Alfred Thomas appropriately titled "The Locketomanic" (see illustration). It shows a fashionably dressed lady wearing more than thirty different lockets in every conceivable place. This little drawing illustrates with a twinkle in the eye how popular these pieces of jewellery were in Queen Victoria's era. Given this fondness for medallions, it is not surprising that new types emerged, each with its own details. The present pendant, for example, illustrates the Victorian delight in ornamentation and richness of form. It shows a loop ornament as a eyelet, while on the lid of the medallion a pearl in a raised setting is surrounded by blue enamel in a star shape. Fringes are suspended below, which were also booming in gold jewellery in the 1870s. The gold is additionally finely gilded (so-called bloom finish), so that a matt, velvety sheen is created. On the back is a glazed window in which a photograph can be stored. This is not closed by a gold lid, but rests directly on the chest, so that the portrait of a loved one can literally be carried close to the heart. We were able to discover the medallion in London. According to its design language, it was also once created in Victorian England.

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For a brief moment, a single fashion only, around the year 1875 jewellery with fringes were fashionable. It was the time of the so-called archaeological style. The aim of the designers was to revive the jewellery of antiquity. But unfortunately, there were few or no surviving models, so that a style with numerous, very different borrowings from the past emerged. On the one hand, simple, geometric basic forms were chosen in an effort to find an original, true style. The goldsmiths added cords and beads to these in the technique of granulation, which had been seen on a few surviving pieces. And now, in addition, they were attaching fringes to the jewels: Mostly formed from simple, smooth tubes, chains or rods. What served as a model for this is difficult to determine: Possibly a more oriental influence was added here, which was no less fashionable at the same time.

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Size & Details

Close to the Heart

€ 1,890.00 ^*

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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Close to the Heart

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