Offered by Matthew Holder
Large Gold, Enamel, Emerald, and Rock Crystal Devotional Pendant.
German or Austrian, circa 1600.
Gold, enamel, emerald, paste, rock crystal, pearls.
Measurements: 8.5 × 5.2 cm.
Weight: 64 grams.
A richly ornamented devotional pendant of openwork design, formed of finely chased and pierced gold, intricately decorated with vibrant polychrome enamels in tones of red, white, green, and blue. At the apex stands a diminutive cast and enamelled figure of the Virgin Mary in prayer, shown trampling a stylised dragon, in reference to her triumph over evil.
The front of the pendant is centred by a prominent square-cut emerald in a closed setting, radiating outward with symmetrical floral motifs of stylised tulips, enamelled and set with table-cut rock crystals. Below, a secondary green stone—now identified as paste—is similarly set within an architectural enamelled mount. Additional rock crystal elements are deployed throughout, including pendant drops and flower heads, each cut en table and mounted within gold collets. Two pendant pearls are suspended from either side, complementing the overall lavishness of the composition. These pearls are old, but almost certainly later additions.
The reverse is similarly elaborate, with a finely pierced and engraved ground of Renaissance scrollwork and foliate motifs, reserved in gold against a ground of translucent and opaque enamel. The work exhibits a high level of technical refinement, with symmetrical arabesques and floral swags echoing the front-facing design. An integral suspension loop is affixed to the back.
Such pendants were worn as devotional objects as well as fashionable displays of wealth and piety, likely produced in one of the principal centres of goldsmiths’ work in South Germany or Austria during the late 16th to early 17th century. A work of considerable complexity and aesthetic sophistication, it reflects the ornamental exuberance of late Renaissance jewellery, while preserving its religious function.
Published:
M. Poynder, Jewellery: Reference and Price Guide, 2000, page 54, Plate 31, No. 4.
Delevery information :
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