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Italian

Brooch, ca.1590

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Italian

Title

Brooch

Year

ca.1590

Medium

Silver, gold, amethyst, green stones

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • silver,
  • gold,
  • Amethyst,
  • Stone

Dimensions

5.6 x 4.5 cm (2 3/16 x 1 3/4 inches)

Type

  • Jewelry

Credit

Bequest of Isaac C. Bates

Object Number

13.696

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

European Galleries

In 1498, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route around Africa to India, allowing an influx of gemstones to flow from Asia to Europe in the 1500s. New jewelry designs were printed and made available internationally, and techniques were published in works such as Benvenuto Cellini’s 1568 book The Treatises of Goldsmithing and Sculpture.

During this time, European painting and sculpture had a great influence on jewelry design. Many painters included detailed depictions of jewelry in their portraits and other paintings. They also designed jewelry, commissioning goldsmiths and other specialists to execute these designs, which were sold to wealthy patrons.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Brooch with the accession number of 13.696. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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