Long Gold Earrings Made of an Antique Brooch, c. 1880 & Later

For The Love of Antiquity

Long Gold Earrings Made of an Antique Brooch, c. 1880 & Later

€ 1,590.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Description

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

Until the beginning of the 19th century, the forms of jewellery from classical antiquity were still unknown. Neither in the Renaissance nor in Classicism had excavations produced genuine jewellery from antiquity. The designs of these eras were merely approximations of an ideal that had to be derived from other contexts such as architecture or sculpture. This changed abruptly with the discovery of genuine Etruscan jewellery in Italy from the 1820s onwards. Princess Alexandrine of Canino, for example, was known to enjoy wearing some original pieces of Etruscan jewellery found at her country estate near Rome to the envy of her friends. However, the number of pieces, which were all chance finds, remained small, and only a fraction of the ladies were able to own original, millennia-old Etruscan jewellery. The goldsmiths of those years therefore soon began to produce pieces of jewellery based on ancient forms that were now finally known. Pio Castellani from Rome and his sons in particular excelled here, designing jewellery that became a trademark and fashion throughout Europe from the middle of the century. However, their work, which quickly became known as the "archaeological style", was also received with interest in the rest of Europe and merged with the forms of their own history. This pair of earrings speaks the formal language of this fashion. A richly decorated element is movably attached underneath an ear hoop with an attached ball, showing fine flowers and foliage together with fine cord soldering and coiled gold wires. Large pendulums are attached at the bottom, forming a semicircle. The earrings were probably created in the last decades of the 19th century from an antique brooch: The two richly ornamented upper parts were probably joined at their lower ends and framed a now-lost round showpiece, perhaps a mosaic or a precious stone, as a brooch. A skilled goldsmith separated them and added the small shells and pendulum. The result is something completely new and yet a coherent design in the taste of the late 19th century.# The pair came to us, as it is, from the south of England.

Learn more

The late 19th century was infatuated with the past. Society was changing, industry had long since transformed the once tranquil towns into large metropolises, and new technologies such as the telegraph were bringing the world closer together. In this situation, citizens longed for stability and reliability - and looked back to history to find role models for their own time. At the same time, fashions were changing ever more rapidly. In earlier centuries, aesthetic preferences had changed only very slowly. In the 19th century, however, the pace of change accelerated enormously. In the hundred years between 1800 and 1900, the history of jewelry knows as many fashions as generations. At the beginning and end of the century, for example, white pieces of jewellery, richly set with diamonds, were in demand. In the 1860s and 1870s, bold colors were in demand, preferably large, polished surfaces of yellow gold and intense colored stones.

Learn more

Size & Details

For The Love of Antiquity

€ 1,590.00 ^*

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

For The Love of Antiquity

Earrings

Privacy settings