There are so many ways with which to understand a jewel and place it in its context. Let’s look again at this brooch and see what we can find… I’ve often made mention that one of the most prolific periods for jewellery experimentation in design came about during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.… Continue reading Revisiting a Pearl and Blue Glass/Enamel Brooch: How Trade Opened Up New Possibilities in the 18th Century
Tag: 1790
Pearl and Blue Glass/Enamel Brooch: How Trade Opened Up New Possibilities in the 18th Century
I’ve often made mention that one of the most prolific periods for jewellery experimentation in design came about during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This isn’t to discredit earlier or more modern periods, but there are simply moments in history when socially, culturally, financially and politically, a particular movement flourishes. It is during… Continue reading Pearl and Blue Glass/Enamel Brooch: How Trade Opened Up New Possibilities in the 18th Century
The Further the Distance the Tighter the Knot; Eternity and Romantic Symbolism on a French Sepia Miniature
Symbolism and beauty are two words to describe this French piece. The two birds (winged souls) tying together the knot of eternity and love as the ship is sailing away from the castle on top of a cliff face. The boat can be taken as a literal interpretation of sentimental distance, or as the passage of a soul towards the afterlife, however as the boat shows its passage towards the horizon, then one can expect that the symbolism falls into the latter. When combined with the eternity knot, the sentiment of love shows a love forever unbroken despite any figurative distance.