Belt thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91 to 93 mezzanine, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Belt

1850-1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In the 19th century Dalmatia was a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic, situated mostly in modern Croatia and spreading between the island of Rab in the north west and the bay of Kotor in Montenegro in the south east. The traditional jewellery shows traces of the many cultures which influenced the region, particularly Italy and the Ottoman Empire.

Dalmatian goldsmiths were famous throughout the Balkans for their fine work. They lived in cities such as Dubrovnik, and specialised in gilding and filigree. Further inland the jewellery is much heavier, and often uses flat-cut local carnelians, like this belt for a woman.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver set with cornelians and brownish-grey chalcedony
Brief description
Silver belt set with flat-cut cornelians, Dalmatia (Croatia), 19th century.
Physical description
Belt of three chains, each consisting of seventeen oval cornelians set in silver and linked to each other by chain. The three-part clasp has a large lozenge-shaped central section made from twenty-five rectangular flat-cut cornelians in beaded mounts, with a silver disc at each side, attached to the central part by hinges. One of the discs is a slot fastening for the belt.
Dimensions
  • Length: 84.9cm
  • Width: 6.6cm
  • Depth: 1.2cm
Credit line
Given by Mrs Carew
Production
Worn by women
Summary
In the 19th century Dalmatia was a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic, situated mostly in modern Croatia and spreading between the island of Rab in the north west and the bay of Kotor in Montenegro in the south east. The traditional jewellery shows traces of the many cultures which influenced the region, particularly Italy and the Ottoman Empire.

Dalmatian goldsmiths were famous throughout the Balkans for their fine work. They lived in cities such as Dubrovnik, and specialised in gilding and filigree. Further inland the jewellery is much heavier, and often uses flat-cut local carnelians, like this belt for a woman.
Collection
Accession number
M.280-1921

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Record createdMarch 14, 2008
Record URL
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