Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Carnelian Jewelry at the Victoria & Albert Museum

Necklet (ribbon to be added)
Western Europe
ca. 1740-50
carnelians set in gilded silver
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

"The common carnelion has its name from its flesh colour . . . which is in some of these stones, paler, when it is called the female carnelion; in others deeper, called the male." 

 from An Essay Towards a Natural History of the Earth (London, 1695) by John Woodward, cited in the Oxford English Dictionary

Clasp
Croatia
ca. 1850-1900
silver-gilt metal with carnelians and glass imitation-turquoises
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Brooch
France
ca. 1800
Trophy of Love
enamelled-gold with carnelians, pearls, and emeralds
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Pendant-Cross
Germany
ca. 1720
gilded silver, carnelians, diamonds
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Earrings
Germany
ca. 1725-50
foiled carnelians and rose-cut diamonds set in gold
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Pendant  
Tiffany & Co, New York
ca. 1880
carnelian intaglio set in gold
figures of Neptune, a warrior, a ship, a dolphin
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Pendant
Germany
ca. 1630-60
carnelian intaglio of a Bacchante
 set in enameled-gold with turquoises
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Pendant 
Western Europe
ca. 1610
miniature watercolor portrait on vellum under glass
set in enamelled-gold with carnelians and emeralds
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Pendant (as above) 
Germany
ca. 1610
miniature watercolor portrait on vellum
solid carnelian back of the pendant
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Pendant
Luigi Pichler, Rome
ca. 1800-1810
carnelian intaglio set in enameled gold
figures of Jupiter, Venus, and Cupid
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Brooch
Phillips Brothers, London
 ca. 1870
white carnelian intaglio set in gold
scene of pagan sacrifice
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Signet Ring 
Western Europe
ca. 1800-1869
carnelian intaglio set in gold
figure of Hercules
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Signet Ring
England
ca. 1652
carnelian intaglio with heraldic shield
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Ring
Roman Empire
ca. 50 BC - 50 AD
gold ring with applied carnelian intaglio
profile portrait of the Emperor Augustus
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

I am grateful to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London for the excellent images.