Mastery of Design: The Sixteen Leaf Necklace, 1880

Necklace or Horse Collar
India, Before 1880
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome necklace heralds from India and was made before 1880. Sixteen leaf-shaped plaques are strung on red silk which has been covered with gold wire.

The front of each plaque is adorned in floral ornament in low relief. The design is decorated with turquoises and rock-crystal set over red foil to simulate rubies. The reverse of each of these sixteen plaques is chased with designs of flowering plants.
The necklace was purchased in India for the Victoria & Albert Museum by Casper Purdon Clarke in 1880-2. It has been suggested that this is not a necklace meant for a human, but rather, was made as a collar for a horse. Lucky horse!

Unusual Artifacts: The Mars and Venus Snuffbox, 1700

Snuff box of tortoise shell, mother-of-pearl and brass wire
England, 1700
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome snuff box has been crafted from tortoiseshell and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, gilt-brass wire and green-stained ivory. Inlaid tortoiseshell in this style is typically known as “piqué work.”  Here, the piqué work of the lid depicts a scene of the classical gods Mars and Venus.

When this box was made in the early Eighteenth Century (about 1700), a fashionable gentleman (and sometimes a lady) was never without a snuff box. They were indispensible accessories which naturally leant themselves to be collected.  The proud owner would coordinate his or her snuffbox with the ensemble being worn. 

The taking of snuff was considered healthful.  However, many people simply collected these opulent boxes because they were fashionable status symbols. The finest boxes were constructed of the most precious of materials and few accessories showed the owner’s status as neatly.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Mars and Venus Snuffbox, 1700

Snuff box of tortoise shell, mother-of-pearl and brass wire
England, 1700
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome snuff box has been crafted from tortoiseshell and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, gilt-brass wire and green-stained ivory. Inlaid tortoiseshell in this style is typically known as “piqué work.”  Here, the piqué work of the lid depicts a scene of the classical gods Mars and Venus.

When this box was made in the early Eighteenth Century (about 1700), a fashionable gentleman (and sometimes a lady) was never without a snuff box. They were indispensible accessories which naturally leant themselves to be collected.  The proud owner would coordinate his or her snuffbox with the ensemble being worn. 

The taking of snuff was considered healthful.  However, many people simply collected these opulent boxes because they were fashionable status symbols. The finest boxes were constructed of the most precious of materials and few accessories showed the owner’s status as neatly.

Unusual Artifacts: A Wedding Wreath, 1854

Click image to enlarge.
Wedding Wreath
Hampshire, England, 1854
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Image

A mid-Nineteenth Century bride, perhaps looking back to the tradition carried on by Queen Victoria at her 1840 marriage to Prince Albert, would likely have wanted to adorn her head with a crown of orange blossoms. The practice of the bride wearing orange blossoms dates back many centuries to China. The flowers were long considered a symbol of purity and innocence and the trend quickly caught on in Europe when trade with the East became more common. By the early 1800s, English brides had adopted the custom, and, it’s one that endures to this day.

The trouble with the blossoms was that they faded quickly. For a bride wishing to preserve her marriage wreath as a memento or, even, to be worn by future generations, the use of real orange blossoms proved, at best, inconvenient. And, so, imitation orange blossoms were fashioned. Women’s periodicals of the era instructed ladies how to make their own wedding crowns and wreaths that emulated the real flower. Most commonly, wax, paper, and cloth were used to create the look of foliage—allowing the wreath to be preserved on a “memory chair” or “marriage chair” under a glass dome.

Here’s a great example of a faux orange blossom wreath. Made in 1854, this wedding crown has long been associated with the marriage of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards to Edward Nugée of Hampshire. It’s quite rare for such an object to survive in such perfect condition. Most interestingly, instead of the usual waxed paper blooms fashioned on structures of wired ribbon, this one is constructed entirely of feathers. Some of the white feathers have been died in shades of green to emulate foliage and others have been tinted yellow to give dimension to the blossoms. 

It’s possible that this expertly made wreath had been purchased from a milliner’s shop. However, it’s a likely bet that the piece was fashioned at home by a very talented individual. 

Mastery of Design: The Sixteen Leaf Necklace, 1880

Necklace or Horse Collar
India, Before 1880
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome necklace heralds from India and was made before 1880. Sixteen leaf-shaped plaques are strung on red silk which has been covered with gold wire.

The front of each plaque is adorned in floral ornament in low relief. The design is decorated with turquoises and rock-crystal set over red foil to simulate rubies. The reverse of each of these sixteen plaques is chased with designs of flowering plants.

The necklace was purchased in India for the Victoria & Albert Museum by Casper Purdon Clarke in 1880-2. It has been suggested that this is not a necklace meant for a human, but rather, was made as a collar for a horse. Lucky horse!

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.  

Mastery of Design: The Gaskin Opal Brooch, 1922

Brooch, 1922
Arthur and Georgie Gaskin
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Arthur and Georgie Gaskin--a husband and wife team known for their Arts and Crafts style jewelry--both studied at the Birmingham School of Art.   They later founded a workshop which was celebrated for its elegant and fashionable hand-made jewels.   

Georgie wrote of their work: “I did all the designing & he did all the enamel, and we both executed the work with our assistants.”

The Gaskins favored work in silver--like the brooch we see here.  Their work was characterized by patterns of dense leaves and flowers peppered with gemstones. Take this brooch from 1922, for example.  It consists of a framework of silver wire which has been set with opals and emeralds. The reverse of the brooch is signed with the initial “G.”

Unfolding Pictures: A Victorian Bridesmaid’s Fan, 1854-1887

Fan with paper lead and gilded wooden sticks and guards.
Made, 1854.  Given again in 1887.
The Victoria & Albert Museum

 

Amongst a group of Victorian wedding dress accessories, this miniature fan was discovered. The superb little fan—perfect for a young woman or girl to carry--is believed to have been given as a wedding favor for a bridesmaid at a 1887 ceremony.

This fan is a rare survival.  Usually fans of this size were made for children and were, therefore, roughly used and ultimately ruined.  The fan features a painted paper leaf with a scene of courtship and simple wooden sticks and guards. 

The sticks and guards have been gilded to match the gilt detail of the leaf which is further adorned with small metal spangles and sequins attached by shimmering gold wire.   The reverse of the leaf is an elegant, but unadorned tan paper flecked with gold leaf.

This dear object is associated with the wedding of one Elizabeth Wroughton Richards to the Reverend Andrew Nugee on August 8, 1854.  It was used as a wedding favor, again, in 1887 at the marriage of the Nugee’s son.

History's Runway: The Lee Embroidered Purse, 1700-30

 

Pochette of polychrome silk and metallic wire embroidery.
Italy, 1700-1730
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the Eighteenth Century, purses became a medium for showcasing exceptional embroidery with silks, metal thread and wire which remains unsurpassed to this day.  Here’s a great example of that splendid work.

This little early 18th century pochette (pocket book) is constructed of white satin which has been  embroidered with polychrome silks, and silver-gilt wire.  It is adorned with a braid in satin stitch and French knots.  The front flap sports two exceptional tasseled strings of silver-gilt thread.

The front features a formal design of flowers on scrolling stems while the reverse depicts a shield of arms with a horizontal bar and three crescents on a field adorned with stars surrounded by a floral border.

The purse was made in Italy between 1700 and 1730.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Mars and Venus Snuffbox, 1700

Snuff box of tortoise shell, mother-of-pearl and brass wire
England, 1700
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome snuff box has been crafted from tortoiseshell and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, gilt-brass wire and green-stained ivory. Inlaid tortoiseshell in this style is typically known as “piqué work.”  Here, the piqué work of the lid depicts a scene of the classical gods Mars and Venus.

When this box was made in the early Eighteenth Century (about 1700), a fashionable gentleman (and sometimes a lady) was never without a snuff box.  They were indispensible accessories which naturally leant themselves to be collected.  The proud owner would coordinate his or her snuffbox with the ensemble being worn. 

The taking of snuff was considered healthful.  However, many people simply collected these opulent boxes because they were fashionable status symbols.  The finest boxes were constructed of the most precious of materials and few accessories showed the owner’s status as neatly.