A Princely Gift

Antique Silver Cross with Enamel Inlays, Germany c. 1910


€ 329.00 *
Content 1 piece
Incl. VAT, Shipping
Antique Silver Cross with Enamel Inlays, Germany c. 1910
Antique Silver Cross with Enamel Inlays, Germany c. 1910
Description
This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!
This large, hand-forged cross is an unusual piece of jewelry, as it uses the showpiece of a princely gift as its central element. The center of the cross, whose beams are inlaid with shimmering blue and green enamel, is adorned with a round plaque bearing the letter "L" beneath a ducal crown with five bars. We assume that this showpiece was once part of a tie pin, which was later used to integrate it into a new piece of jewelry and make it wearable elsewhere. Precious jewellery pins, either with the monogram of the respective prince, a heraldic animal or national emblem, were given as gifts to all royal and imperial families in Europe and other high-ranking nobles in the 19th century, often in gratitude for loyal service. They are considered the highest non-military honors at the courts of Europe. We date the goldsmith's work, i.e. the conversion of the decorative pin into a large cross, to around 1910, the period of German Art Nouveau. On the back we see the name of the presumably first wearer in a beautiful hand engraving: "Luise Kaiser". Unfortunately, we do not know who Luise Kaiser was, who gave her this cross or whether she even commissioned it herself. However, the Grand Dukes Ludwig I to IV of Hesse Darmstadt, for example, wore the "L" under the ducal crown.
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Size & Details
Antique Silver Cross with Enamel Inlays, Germany c. 1910
A Princely Gift
€ 329.00 *
Content 1 piece
Incl. VAT, Shipping
Our Promise
Our Promise
Our Promise

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