Mastery of Design: A Pendant by Sir Alfred Gilbert, 1890-1910

Pendant
Iron, Glass and Turquoise
Sir Alfred Gilbert
1890-1900
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This casual pendant of iron wire is set with turquoise and a glass bead. It’s the work of Sir Alfred Gilbert (1854-1934) who is considered one of Britain’s most prominent turn of the Twentieth Century sculptors. Gilbert is best known for his aluminum figure of Eros which stands in Piccadilly Circus.

Gilbert’s passion for experimenting with metal led him to jewelry design. He created a series of informal pieces of jewelry like this one, largely from iron wire which he would set with inexpensive materials such as glass in addition to semiprecious stones and shell. These jewels were often given to family members as gifts and were cherished for their spontaneous, hand-wrought, and light-hearted look.

Gilbert, however, did occasionally create formal jewels from precious metals and stones, including the Mayoral Chain of the town of Preston and the presidential badges and chain for the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours—an organization of which he was an active member for his other pursuit of watercolor painting.

This piece dates between 1890 and 1900. 

History's Runway: The Iris Comb, 1820

Berlin Iron Comb
Prussia or Germany, 1820
The Victoria & Albert Museum

“Berlin Iron,” in jewelry terms refers to this sort of lacy, black adornment which was first produced by the Prussian Royal Iron Foundaries around 1805. This type of jewelry became a symbol of the Prussian wars against France’s Napoleon Bonaparte when ladies would donate their gold jewelry to the cause and be given an iron piece in return.

While the practice remained predominately Prussian, during the French occupation of Berlin, the technique was learned and brought to France. In Germany, only a woman of the highest social rank would have worn Berlin Iron and, so, the work was associated with the upper echelon. A comb such as this one from about 1820 with its cameo of the goddess Iris is an ideal example of the delicacy of the work. Since iron tends to be a brittle substance which is also highly susceptible to rust, few example of this early Nineteenth Century art survive in such perfect condition. The pieces were often made in a Gothic Revival or Neoclassical style.

Mastery of Design: A Pendant by Sir Alfred Gilbert, 1890-1910

Pendant
Iron, Glass and Turquoise
Sir Alfred Gilbert
1890-1900
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This casual pendant of iron wire is set with turquoise and a glass bead. It’s the work of Sir Alfred Gilbert (1854-1934) who is considered one of Britain’s most prominent turn of the Twentieth Century sculptors. Gilbert is best known for his aluminum figure of Eros which stands in Piccadilly Circus.

Gilbert’s passion for experimenting with metal led him to jewelry design. He created a series of informal pieces of jewelry like this one, largely from iron wire which he would set with inexpensive materials such as glass in addition to semiprecious stones and shell. These jewels were often given to family members as gifts and were cherished for their spontaneous, hand-wrought, and light-hearted look.

Gilbert, however, did occasionally create formal jewels from precious metals and stones, including the Mayoral Chain of the town of Preston and the presidential badges and chain for the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours—an organization of which he was an active member for his other pursuit of watercolor painting.

This piece dates between 1890 and 1900. 

Mastery of Design: The Alfred Gilbert Glass Pendant, 1890-1910

Pendant of Wire and Glass
Sir Arthur Gilbert
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Sir Alfred Gilbert (1854-1934) is embedded in history as one of Britain's most prominent sculptors of the turn of the Twentieth Century. He is best known for his celebrated public figure of Eros in Piccadilly circus, London. Eros is made of aluminum, demonstrating Gilbert's interest in experimenting with metal, an interest which led him to make some lovely pieces of jewelry which he would proudly present to friends and family.

Though he mostly hand-made casual pieces very quickly, Gilbert did occasionally create formal jewels, which showcased his charming and peculiar style in precious materials.

Here, we see one of Gilbert’s less formal jewels.  This pendant of iron wire is set with glass.  It was made between 1890 and 1910.