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| Stomacher England, 1760 Silver set with foil-backed rock crystal and paste. The Victoria & Albert Museum |
This bodice ornament, known as a stomacher, was meant to be worn on a lady’s gown between her neckline and waist. Regal and noble ladies had begun to wear such jeweled pieces on the cloth front of their gowns (also called stomachers) and by the mid Eighteenth Century, this was the height of fashion.
Here, we see a combination of faceted rock crystal and paste (basically glass formed from a fine powder—often diamond powder) which has been backed in foil to increase the shine and sparkle. In candlelight, these inexpensive stones looked much the same as diamonds. Even the cut of the stones mimics the popular diamond cut of the day—rose-cut. Being as rose-cut diamonds were usually foil-backed themselves, the look of the costume piece wasn’t too different from the look of an expensive article.
Made around 1760 in England, such a piece would have been sold by a reputable up-scale jeweler, probably quite discreetly.
4 comments:
Thank you for the post. I have acquired a stomacher of late but have not been able to verify its authenticity. Were replicas made in the 20th century? This particular piece is made of gold and is similar in style to the one pictured here.
Yes, replicas were made well into the 1930s. Even now, it's possible to find a relatively recent reproduction made for costume purposes. I take it yours has no marks to indicate maker or date of creation? One way to tell the date is by the construction and, also, the karat weight of the gold. A dealer in antique jewelry should be able to tell you by the construction of the piece approximately when it was made.
Thank you for the post. it is very timely! I, too, have recently acquired a jeweled stomacher but have received several different opinions from antiques dealers. They are clear stones that look to have a red foil back. The stones test for sapphire in hardness. There are three pieces; it is quite long, and set in 16k. It has no markings. With many different opinions, how can you be sure of it's origin?
It's difficult to say which opinion, if any, is the total truth of any antique's story. We just have to go with the provable facts, and, decide from there. The truth is, without a written history given for each and every antique, we can't really know everything about one. In your case, you have the provable facts of 16k gold and foil-backed sapphires. Using that as your starting point, an antique dealer or jeweler can guide you to a basic provenance. Your piece sounds lovely! Thanks for sharing!
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