Cross
1800-1867 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Italian women have always loved lavish display. Even for the poorest, an impressive show of jewellery was all important. Like Catholic women elsewhere in southern Europe they often wore elaborate crosses as jewellery.
Red was the most popular colour in traditional jewellery throughout Italy. In the south the jewellers usually used coral, but in the northern and central regions they decorated their crosses with garnets, as here. This cross, which comes from Parma, has mounts for the garnets which are riveted to the base, which is not typical of traditional jewellery. It is also smaller than most crosses of this type.
It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Red was the most popular colour in traditional jewellery throughout Italy. In the south the jewellers usually used coral, but in the northern and central regions they decorated their crosses with garnets, as here. This cross, which comes from Parma, has mounts for the garnets which are riveted to the base, which is not typical of traditional jewellery. It is also smaller than most crosses of this type.
It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gold set with faceted garnets |
| Brief description | Gold pendant cross set with garnets, Parma (Italy), 1800-1867. |
| Physical description | Pendant cross, made of pierced gold set with faceted garnets in high conical mounts, hanging from a matching plaque. The mounts are riveted to the base. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Monogram of the letters 'W' and 'C'. (On front of each part: on a spur at the extreme right of the top, and on the projection at the bottom of the cross.) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Italian women have always loved lavish display. Even for the poorest, an impressive show of jewellery was all important. Like Catholic women elsewhere in southern Europe they often wore elaborate crosses as jewellery. Red was the most popular colour in traditional jewellery throughout Italy. In the south the jewellers usually used coral, but in the northern and central regions they decorated their crosses with garnets, as here. This cross, which comes from Parma, has mounts for the garnets which are riveted to the base, which is not typical of traditional jewellery. It is also smaller than most crosses of this type. It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867. |
| Bibliographic reference | 'Italian Jewellery as worn by the Peasants of Italy', Arundel Society, London, 1868, Plate 2 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 321-1868 |
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| Record created | October 31, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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