Academic literature on the topic 'History of jewellery'

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct an in-depth interview with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Larry Jewelry, a luxury jeweller with boutiques in Hong Kong and Singapore. Given the ever-evolving luxury jewellery market in South East Asia, it is paramount to understand the success factors of the luxury jewellery sector. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth interview approach is used to understand the antecedents of the success of the luxury jewellery sector. Specifically, this paper presents a complex business model of Larry Jewelry and an in-depth interview with the CEO of Larry Jewelry for current insights in the sector. Findings This paper highlights the history of Larry Jewelry, its product segments and the key elements of its business blueprint. Specifically, the success of Larry Jewelry is attributed to its business model and strong branding on quality, craftsmanship, rarity, human interaction and trust. Originality/value Despite the substantial growth in the luxury jewellery sector, there is relatively little research on the success factors of this industry, especially in South East Asia. The current research provides practical insights into business blueprint of a successful luxury jeweller in Hong Kong and Singapore.

The hereby text is a short study on the relationship between architecture and jewellery. In the first part, it presents the history of occurrence of architectural forms in jewellery from antiquity to present day in the European culture. The second part delivers the examples of contemporary artefacts, particularly rings with microarchitecture. The analysis of the collected examples proves that architecture – its form, construction and detail − is a motive of decoration willingly used in jewellery design, often of a symbolic meaning related to the household or the temple (wedding rings, ritual rings). Nowadays, especially in the 21st century, microarchitecture in jewellery often emerges with reference to the place of origin, i.e. the famous building being, most frequently, the commemoration of a journey, able to bring back the memory of a visited city. The architectural jewellery, whose meanings and functions are the subject of the hereby study, has undergone many transformations throughout history. Even though it has transitioned from simple to complicated and decorative forms, from precious and rare to cheap and popular objects of mass production presenting the miniature replicas of buildings, the jewellery nearly always symbolises the city. Much less often the jewellery design occurs with reference to the metaphorical meanings of buildings as a representation of permanency (the tower in Alessandro Dari’s jewellery) or marital union (the house and the temple in Jewish rings).

The hereby text is a short study on the relationship between architecture and jewellery. In the first part, it presents the history of occurrence of architectural forms in jewellery from antiquity to present day in the European culture. The second part delivers the examples of contemporary artefacts, particularly rings with microarchitecture. The analysis of the collected examples proves that architecture – its form, construction and detail − is a motive of decoration willingly used in jewellery design, often of a symbolic meaning related to the household or the temple (wedding rings, ritual rings). Nowadays, especially in the 21st century, microarchitecture in jewellery often emerges with reference to the place of origin, i.e. the famous building being, most frequently, the commemoration of a journey, able to bring back the memory of a visited city. The architectural jewellery, whose meanings and functions are the subject of the hereby study, has undergone many transformations throughout history. Even though it has transitioned from simple to complicated and decorative forms, from precious and rare to cheap and popular objects of mass production presenting the miniature replicas of buildings, the jewellery nearly always symbolises the city. Much less often the jewellery design occurs with reference to the metaphorical meanings of buildings as a representation of permanency (the tower in Alessandro Dari’s jewellery) or marital union (the house and the temple in Jewish rings).

The paper brings the results of archaeological excavations of Mound 28 at the Paulje necropolis, conducted in the autumn of 2019, along with the excavations of two adjacent mounds. All of the aforementioned mounds were partially damaged and eroded through decades of ploughing. Consequently, remains of a Late Bronze Age burial were recorded solely in Mound 28. According to the grave inventory comprised of bronze jewellery and analogies from concurrent necropolises, it is assumed that the burial belongs to a female individual (?). Besides the extraordinary examples of bronze jewellery, such as pins, an arm ring, bracelets, crescent-shaped pendants, torques, and remains of amber jewellery, the organic substructure below the fully cast arm ring has been successfully dated. According to the absolute dating, the jewellery is attributed to the 14th century BC, and the inventory of the grave completely corresponds to the previously dated features from the Paulje necropolis. Therefore, certain forms of bronze jewellery were provided with a more precise chronological position based on the absolute dates. The burial is attributed to the Brezjak culture.

Dytynets of ancient Kyiv is an inner fortified part within the “city of Volodymyr”, with a total area of 10—12 hectares. At different times, its territory has been explored by many archaeologists. During the period from 1907 to 2013, 22 archaeological objects were discovered and researched on the territory of the Kyiv Dytynets, as well as separate buildings, furnaces and various finds from ancient Rus’ cultural strata related to jewellery. All of them were located within the “city of Volodymyr” and were recorded at the sites of 10 excavations, namely: five objects were located at the address — Volodymyrska st., 2 (territory of the National Museum of History of Ukraine); two — on Volodymyrska st., 7—9; one — on Desiatynna st., 2; eight — on Velyka Zhytomyrska st., 2; four — on Volodymyrska st., 8; two — on Desiatynna st., 3—A—B, 5—D. According to their chronology, these objects are dated by the XI — first half of the XIII c. After analyzing the location of jewellery workshops, there can be identified at least two large focuses — the quarters of jewellers, where the masters lived and worked. The first (largest) was located along the even side of modern Volodymyrska st. and stretched from the northern slope of Starokyivska Mountain to Volodymyrska st., 8. From the west it was limited to Goncharnyi ravine, and from the east — the carriageway of Volodymyrska st. There were 11 jewellery production facilities on its territory. The total area of this quarter was about 3.5 hectares. This centre at different times could serve the Grand Ducal court with its palace complexes, work for the needs of the boyar nobility and clergy. The second was located between the streets: Volodymyrska (from the west) and Desiatynna (from the east). In the south, it was limited by the carriageway of Velyka Zhytomyrska st. There were 10 jewellery production facilities on its territory. The total area of this quarter was about 1.2 hectares. Most likely, this centre belonged to a greater extent to the estate of the Fedoriv monastery of the XII c. and served the princely court of Mstyslav Volodymyrovych, who built the monastery. Thus, since the XI c. on the territory of Kyiv Dytynets the jewellery manufacturing had been developing rapidly. Production workshops spread over an area of almost 5 hectares and existed until Kyiv devastation in 1240.

In the early first century AC, in the north of Poland (predominantly in Pomerania), the Wielbark culture developed with its group of specific features. Among them were numerous items of jewellery. It seems that their use was related to an extended social hierarchy and distant inter-regional trade contacts. The raw material used by the jewellers was most probably obtained from melted Roman coins. Amber exports were at the economic basis of obtaining the coins. The most frequent forms of trinkets:snake- and adder-inspired bracelets, reverse pear pendants, S-shaped buckles and others, are of entirely foreign origin. Their prototypes can be traced back to the pre-Roman areas along the Danube occupied by the Thracians and the Dacians or the La Tène culture population.

An increasing global focus on sustainability has affected the jewellery industry by raising questions about its environmental and social impacts and ethics due to the negative impacts of gold mining. It is essential to consider the social aspects of mining activities on the socio-economic environment and the affected individuals in order to understand the sustainability of the jewellery industry in a better way. Nonetheless, this is a gap in the evaluation of the issues of jewellery in the other phases of the life cycle, observed in the literature. For these reasons, the goal of this study is to assess the social and socio-economic aspects of a piece of jewellery from the artisan’s point of view by considering the relationship between a piece of jewellery and the local community. The United National Environmental Programme/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (UNEP/SETAC) Guidelines on Social Life-Cycle Assessment, the UNEP/SETAC Methodological Sheets and the Subcategory Assessment Method were implemented. The findings show that a piece of jewellery can play an important role in supporting the local cultural heritage by innovating the traditional product, and promoting educational activities related to the history of the product and the territory. Consequently, the local community with its historical background gives an added value to the piece of jewellery. Further research on this topic is desirable in order to improve the knowledge of this particular sector and to identify other social issues that can be involved in this product.

Jewellery found during recent excavations in the necropolis of Thasos fills a gap in our knowledge of minor arts in an important metal producing area of the Greek world. The pieces examined in this article form, in terms of technique, style and iconography, a group, the affinities of which can be traced to the Ionic traditions of the northern Aegean. Their artistic identity fits well with what we know about the character and development of other aspects of Thasian art, characterized by a close adherence to dominant artistic trends coming from both Attica and the East during the late Classical period. The anthropological study of the skeletal remains from the tombs gives further contextual information on the general condition of the people interred, while the objects deposited offer clues to the interpretation of issues concerning the iconography and symbolic use of precious grave goods.

This thesis surveys various types of jewellery that reference death which emerged between 1980-2008. It compares them to their historical precedents, particularly mourning and memento mori jewellery, which had fallen out of use by the early twentieth century. The return of this imagery in late twentieth century jewellery might suggest a revival of older, obsolete rituals of death and mourning, and imply changes in popular attitudes towards bereavement and grief, even a new cultural acceptance of death and mortality. However, the contemporary meanings of the new jewellery appeared to be more varied, wide-ranging and ambiguous than those of their historical precedents. The thesis examines some of the changed meanings and altered contexts for the new mourning and memento mori jewellery, by surveying a broad range of jewellery that is normally studied separately within different academic disciplines. It is sourced from the funeral industry, subculture, studio jewellery, pop memorabilia, mass market and avant-garde fashion. In addition, the thesis examines the narratives and meanings that jewellery is imbued with by individuals following bereavement or illness. It addresses questions of how, or whether, items of jewellery differ from other forms of material and visual culture because they are worn objects. Throughout the thesis, jewellery is the key focus and it is analysed using methods from material culture studies, design history and sociology. Together, the breadth of sources and interdisciplinary approach demonstrate that jewellery worn to signify death, memory and mourning is part of a continuum of the wider symbolic and sentimental value of jewellery. The thesis shows a new separation between the functions of mourning and memento mori in jewellery; the absence of an unambiguous, recognisable visual language of death; and a greater, but more private, degree of individualisation of grief in contemporary mourning jewellery than that found in earlier periods.

This cultural history of paua shell jewellery redresses the lack of visibility of such objects as a significant part of 20th century New Zealand material culture and provides a basis for a more balanced interpretation beyond its stereotyping as tourist kitsch. It questions why quality paua shell jewellery made before the late 1960s failed to gain recognition with most New Zealanders until fairly recently as anything other than tourist souvenirs. Over 1,500 items of paua shell jewellery, mainly in private collections, formed the basis for this multidisciplinary research project that incorporates historical, anthropological and material culture studies approaches to write a cultural history of such jewellery. The objects were photographed and where available, their provenance recorded. A visual analysis of the items - paying attention to details of design and construction - established various, often overlapping categories that facilitated the dating and identification process. Gradually, a picture of the production of paua shell jewellery over the decades emerged. The wider socio-cultural context was then built using archival sources, various publications, conversations with one-time industry representatives, and discussions with original owners of paua shell jewellery. Interpretation of the material established multiple roles for paua shell jewellery over the decades for various groups of people. Changes over time provided insights into aspects of identity creation by New Zealanders. Until the 1920s, the shell�s main role had been as a European applied arts material and as inlay for Maori woodcarvings. Paua shell as a commercial souvenir material developed during the Depression and was shaped by the interaction between an emerging nationalism and a democratising of travel in New Zealand. Paua shell native bird brooches functioned as affordable alternatives to greenstone souvenirs for the working-class tourists that began exploring their own country. In addition to its role as emblems of nationhood in the interwar years, paua shell jewellery had meaning as souvenirs for American servicemen stationed in New Zealand during the War, and as patriotic tokens for its own population due to its association with disabled servicemen. Paua shell jewellery functioned as acknowledgement of settlement for European immigrants in the post war era, and as travel memento for trans-Tasman tourists from the mid 1950s. New Zealand girls received paua shell items as first jewellery, and women wore it as dress or costume jewellery. Until the increase of tourism in the 1960s, paua shell jewellery had existed on a number of planes. The exploitation of paua shell by the tourist industry, however, upset the balance and its dominance as souvenir forced a retreat of alternative uses. Other than as tourist souvenir, paua shell jewellery became invisible to the local population. Their withdrawal from an association with paua shell as a cultural marker of national identity explains why so many New Zealanders were uncertain about liking or disliking paua shell jewellery until recently.

Places undergoing transition where the built environment, changing economic value, and uncontrolled nature intersect are often rich in decay and growth. Predominantly fallow, ignored or discarded sites, they are contested locations. Edges, walls and fences in such places (with their associated openings and closed-off paths) are expressions of the marginal and are true ‘edgelands’. These places embody histories, and stories are implied when one takes an archaeologist’s eye to their details and traces. The ideas, marks, qualities, and relationships discovered in these locations are the subject matter for my work and are translated into the material form of the small wearable object. The visual outcomes of this research are expressed as collections of wearable objects that draw on a series of places in transition. This project also considers the function and role of wearable objects. The small crafted forms I have made are miniature works of art and also inherit the history of jewellery. As such, they are viewed in the studio or gallery and when worn, draw focus to a person. As static objects they embody ideas and feelings of a place, implying stories, but, on the body, are conceptually re-formed in a new set of relationships in time and space.
Thesis (Masters)
Master of Visual Arts (MVA)
Queensland College of Art
Arts, Education and Law
Full Text

A presente dissertação se baseou no percurso da história da arte, para compreender as manifestações da história da joalheria, pois a joia com seu valor material é um patrimônio impregnado de simbologias e de significados estéticos. Este trabalho utilizou a pesquisa histórica, baseada na pesquisa bibliográfica ou de fontes secundárias. Estabeleceu-se um painel cronológico do caminho percorrido pela humanidade para desenvolver a arte da joalheria, desde o seu surgimento, procurando fazer relação entre suas descobertas, necessidades de novos materiais, o aprimoramento de técnicas ou ainda a capacidade de desenvolver habilidades para executá-las. A sua relação com as artes plásticas, que nas últimas décadas levaram a arte e a joia a romper paradigmas. Atualmente, a joia é mais despojada, enfrenta novos desafios como a preocupação com o meio ambiente e a utilização de sementes, madeiras, entre outros materiais naturais, criando objetos com design diferenciado e contemporâneo.
This dissertation is based on the course of art history, to understand the manifestations of the history of jewelry, as the jewel in its material value is a heritage steeped in symbolism and aesthetic meanings. This study used historical research, based on literature or secondary sources. Established a panel chronological path for humanity to develop the art of jewelry, from its inception, seeking to make the relationship between their findings, need for new materials, improvement of techniques or even the ability to develop skills to execute them. His relationship with the arts, which in recent decades have led to art and jewelry to break paradigms. Currently, the jewel is more casual, faces new challenges such as concern for the environment and use of seeds, wood, and other natural materials, creating objects with different design and contemporary.

L'indagine qui condotta è dedicata ai gioielli legati alla religione cristiana. In particolare essa è volta a indagare la produzione e il consumo di monili devozionali in Veneto nel corso del XVI secolo. Accanto ai pezzi conservatisi fino ai nostri giorni e alle fonti scritte, soprattutto inventari, lo studio ha considerato anche i pezzi rappresentati tramite il medium pittorico. Il primo compito di questo lavoro è stato quello di riflettere sull'esatta definizione dell'oggetto di ricerca e sulla metodologia di studio del monile. L'attenzione è poi stata concentrata sull'ambito del gioiello devozionale come espressione di identità religiosa e come oggetto centrale all'interno delle pratiche devozionali. Il Cinquecento è stato un periodo cruciale sia per la storia religiosa che per quella dell'oreficeria. È il secolo della Riforma protestante e nel contempo un momento di grandi innovazioni nell'ambito dell'arte aurificiaria, che modificano sensibilmente la produzione e la fruizione dei gioielli. La scelta di concentrarsi su Venezia e sul suo Stato da Terra, un territorio che oggi corrisponde al Veneto e a parte della Lombardia, ha permesso di concentrarsi contemporaneamente su entrambi gli aspetti. Venezia fu infatti un centro di commercio e produzione di fama internazionale per quanto concerne i beni di lusso, e fu proprio in questo torno d'anni che iniziò a emerge la fortuna del centro orafo di Vicenza. Importanti produzioni si registrarono anche nelle altre città del territorio della Serenissima. Nel contempo, si diffusero in quest'area in modo assai capillare tre diverse religioni protestanti: il luteranesimo, il calvinismo e l'anabattismo. Moltissimi cittadini si convertirono alle nuove fedi evangeliche in uno stato che, per quanto in contrasto costante con il papato, rimase sempre cattolico. Questo particolare aspetto ha permesso di indagare anche le dinamiche che coinvolgono l'esternazione dell'identità protestante in un luogo in cui essa era proibita e considerata eretica, e perciò non poteva essere mostrata apertamente senza rischi. Questo lavoro indaga però anche i segni lasciati nella cultura materiale cattolica da parte dell'avvento del protestantesimo. Diverse evidenze mostrano che tendenze e simboli preesistenti si consolidarono e si affermarono proprio in questo periodo, poiché adatti a identificare l'identità cattolica in risposta alle critiche protestanti. È in sintesi stato possibile dividere i gioielli in tipologie distinte e ben individuabili e rintracciare degli schemi ricorrenti. Questo studio ha inoltre permesso di riscoprire alcuni gioielli inediti o poco conosciuti, conservati nei depositi dei musei, e nel contempo di formulare nuove ipotesi su alcuni pezzi maggiormente noti. La tesi raccoglie inoltre diversi documenti coevi, di cui alcuni inediti, in grado di gettare nuova luce sui gioielli devozionali usati in Veneto, e in particolare sulla pratica di donare i preziosi come offerte votive. Nel contempo, sono discussi numerosi casi di rappresentazioni di monili nei dipinti, e in particolare nei ritratti, che hanno fornito la possibilità di interpretazioni nuove e più precise delle diverse tipologie di gioielli e di come esse fossero utilizzate.
The aim of this research is to study the link between jewellery and Christian religion. In particular it explores the production and consumption of devotional jewellery in 16th century Veneto. My investigation is based on actual jewels, on written sources, such as inventories, and on depiction of jewellery in coeval paintings. First of all, this thesis defines the object of the research and discusses the methodology of jewellery studies. It afterwards focuses on jewels as a means to express religious identity, and as devotional aids for worship services and domestic prayer. The 16th century has been a crucial period from the point of view of both religious studies and jewellery studies. During this period, the Protestant Reformation became widespread all over Europe. At the same time, major innovations in goldsmith's art dramatically changed the production and consumption of jewellery. These aspects can be deeply investigated within Venetian context, and in particular in the city of Venice and in its Stato da Terra, namely its mainland territories. This area can be identified as the present Veneto region and part of the Lombardia region. The 16th century Venice was one of the places in Europe most famous for production and trading of luxury goods. In this same period Vicenza became an important manufacturing centre, specialized in jewellery production, and also other towns in the Veneto were renowned for their conspicuous jewellery production. At the same time, Lutheranism, Calvinism and Anabaptism, namely three of the major Protestant religions, were being diffused within the Stato da Terra. Many citizens of the Serenissima decide to embrace Protestant ideas. Even though the Venetian state often criticized the supremacy of the Papacy, the Serenissima adopted and never abandoned Catholicism as its state religion. This particular aspect was crucial in the investigation on communication of Protestant identity within a Catholic framework. It should be remembered that, within this context, Protestantism was considered as an heretical movement, and thus Protestant believers could be condemned by the Tribunal of the Holy Inquisition. Therefore, Protestant identity could only be conveyed by means of cryptic symbols. The study investigates this particular aspect together with Protestant influence on Catholic material culture. Research results tend in fact to confirm that existing Catholic symbols that were not common before the advent of the Reformation, became widespread in reaction to Protestantism, being deemed really representative of Catholic identity. To sum up, this research answers the opportunity to recognize and investigate different typologies of jewellery, and to study recurrent patterns and features in these typologies. Yet unpublished and less studied jewels, usually kept in museum's storages are taken into account in this thesis. New hypotheses on famous objects of art are proposed too. Coeval documents, published and unpublished, help to shed new light on how devotional jewels were used in the Veneto, with particular regard to the phenomenon of precious votive offerings. At the same time, representations of jewels in paintings, mainly in portraits, are discussed as a way to analyse more in depth jewellery typologies and the ways and means in which devotional jewels were designed and made use of.

My personal history and the stories of people with similar experiences have inspired my degree project. It revolves around the feeling of belonging when moving from one place to another, adapting to the new environment (e.g. culture, language, etc.), and yet staying in between. It's about the notion of home in the time of migration.  I want to capture the ideas of places and identity transformation through materiality. The tree is very human-like living material. I bend the wood, and, while doing so, it follows my moves and adapts to changed conditions. The tension and force create the shape, and the unfolded pieces become traces of my body movements.  I see the sculptures from the jeweler´s perspective, the performative and interactive pieces invite the viewer to participate.  In my smaller-scale series of work, I continue my materials research narrowing down my investigation from the body to my hands. The pandemic situation increases my awareness of touching and longing for real contact with people. I select a group of found and given to me objects which evoke memories of people and places I have been. By wrapping them into a metallic textile I create imprinted empty space. It becomes a container which questions what is left behind when someone is gone or something is taken away.  I place the handprints and the tree rings in parallel. Both are strong identification symbols. The wood rings mark the conditions in which. the tree grows, forming a unique sign language that visually explains the whole history of the tree.  Do people´s fingerprints change when they move from one place to another?

While scholarship often focuses on how early modern Italians used images in their devotions, particularly in the post-Tridentine era, little attention has been placed upon how laypeople engaged with devotional text during times of prayer and in their everyday lives. Studies of early modern devotional texts have explored their literary content, investigated their censorship by the Church, or concentrated upon an elite readership. This thesis, instead, investigates how ordinary devotees interacted with holy words in their material form, which I have termed ‘material prayers’. Since this thesis developed under the aegis of the interdisciplinary research project, Domestic Devotions: The Place of Piety in the Italian Renaissance Home, 1400-1600, it focuses primarily on engagement with these material prayers in domestic spaces. Using an interdisciplinary approach drawing from material culture studies, literary history, social and cultural history, and art history, it brings together objects, images and archival sources to illuminate how devotees from across the socio-economic and literacy spectrums accessed and employed devotional text in their prayers and daily life. From holy words, Biblical excerpts, and prayers to textual symbols like the Sacred Monogram of the Name of Jesus, this thesis explores how and why these material prayers were employed for spiritual, apotropaic and intercessory purposes. It analyses material prayers not only in traditional textual formats (printed books and manuscripts), but also those that were printed on single-sheets of paper, inscribed on jewellery, or etched into the structure of the home. To convey how devotees engaged with and relied upon these material prayers, it considers a variety of inscribed objects, including those sanctioned by the Church as well as those which might be questioned or deemed ‘superstitious’ by ecclesiastical authorities. Sermons, Inquisition trial records, and other archival documents have been consulted to further illuminate the material evidence. The first part of the thesis, ‘On the Body’, considers the how devotees came into personal contact with texts by wearing prayers on their bodies. It examines a range of objects including prayers with protective properties, known as brevi, that were meant to be sealed in a pouch and worn around the neck, and more luxurious items of physical adornment inscribed with devotional and apotropaic text, such as necklaces and rings. The second part of the thesis enters the home to explore how the spaces people inhabited and the objects that populated their homes were decorated with material prayers. ‘In the Home’ begins with texts inscribed over the entryways of early modern Italian homes, and then considers how devotees decorated their walls with holy words and how the objects of devotion and household life were imbued with religious significance through the addition of pious inscriptions. By analysing these personal objects and the textual domestic sphere, this thesis argues that these material prayers cut across socio-economic classes, genders, and ages to embody quotidian moments of domestic devotion as well as moments of fear, anxiety and change.

There are many factors that contributed to the proliferation of visual codes, metaphors and references to the gendered gaze in women's fiction of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. This thesis argues that the visual details in women's novels published between 1778 and 1815 are more significant than scholars have previously acknowledged. My analysis of the oeuvres of Jane Austen, Ann Radcliffe, Maria Edgeworth and Fanny Burney shows that visuality — the nexus between the verbal and visual communication — provided them with a language within language capable of circumventing the cultural strictures on female expression in a way that allowed for concealed resistance. It conveyed the actual ways in which women ‘should' see and appear in a society in which the reputation was image-based. My analysis journeys through physiognomic, psychological, theatrical and codified forms of visuality to highlight the multiplicity of its functions. I engage with scholarly critiques drawn from literature, art, optics, psychology, philosophy and anthropology to assert visuality's multidisciplinary influences and diplomatic potential. I show that in fiction and in actuality, women had to negotiate four scopic forces that determined their ‘looks' and manners of looking: the impartial spectator, the male gaze, the public eye and the disenfranchised female gaze. In a society dominated by ‘frustrated utterance,' penetrating gazes and the perpetual threat of misinterpretation, women novelists used references to the visible and the invisible to comment on emotions, socio-economic conditions and patriarchal abuses. This thesis thus offers new insights into verbal economy by reassessing expression and perception from an unconventional point-of-view.

La presente tesi di dottorato riguarda l’analisi composizionale non invasiva di gioielli in oro e maiolica ottocenteschi in stile revival. I manufatti ottocenteschi sono raramente studiati e i dati pubblicati sui materiali usati per la loro produzione sono molto più scarsi che nel caso dei manufatti antichi. L’obiettivo del presente studio è quello di acquisire dati di riferimento, per aumentare le attuali conoscenze riguardo ai materiali utilizzati nel corso dell’Ottocento, secolo segnato dalla transizione dalla produzione artigianale tradizionale a quella industriale, e che potranno rivelarsi utili per l’identificazione di falsi fatti nel medesimo periodo. In particolare, questa ricerca è incentrata sui gioielli conservati presso il Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia a Roma e realizzati dai Castellani, una famosa famiglia romana di orafi, collezionisti e mercanti d’arte, e sulla maiolica artistica, parte della collezione del Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) di Londra, fatta in stile Neo-Rinascimentale dalle Manifatture Ginori e Cantagalli, principali promotrici del Risorgimento della maiolica artistica italiana, e dal ceramista Torquato Castellani, membro della famiglia di orafi appena menzionata. Dal momento che l’oggetto della ricerca è costituito da manufatti integri in collezioni museali, è stato necessario eseguire esclusivamente analisi non invasive e in situ. La tecnica utilizzata è la spettroscopia XRF, usata, con diversi set up, per analizzare le leghe d’oro e le zone di saldatura dei gioielli Castellani e gli smalti della maiolica revival. L’analisi dei gioielli in oro è stata effettuata con lo spettrometro micro-XRF portatile sviluppato al Centro Nacional de Aceleradores di Siviglia: un sistema di lenti policapillari permette di ridurre il punto di analisi fino a 30 μm e ha consentito così di caratterizzare separatamente la composizione delle lamine, dei fili, dei granuli e delle zone di saldatura dei 43 gioielli analizzati (realizzati fra gli anni Quaranta e Ottanta dell’Ottocento). L’analisi ha mostrato che i Castellani hanno utilizzato un oro di elevata purezza con l’argento come principale alligante, e che elementi diversi di un gioiello, inclusi i granuli, erano saldati con delle leghe brasanti ricche in argento. Secondo i Castellani, questo tipo di leghe era quello usato dagli Antichi. Un filtro di zinco è stato aggiunti di fronte al rivelatore di raggi X dello spettrometro. Questa modifica tecnica ha permesso di determinare che il cadmio, elemento aggiunto alle leghe brasanti a partire dalla seconda metà del XIX secolo, non è presente nelle saldature dei Castellani. Inoltre, l’analisi XRF, e in particolare lo studio dell’intensità relativa delle linee X dell’oro, ha consentito di acquisire informazioni sulla presenza di trattamenti superficiali sui gioielli Castellani. Lo spettrometro XRF commerciale disponibile presso il V&A è stato usato per l’analisi della maiolica (ceramica decorata con smalto stannifero). È stata caratterizzata la composizione elementale degli smalti bianchi e colorati e delle decorazioni a lustro di 21 maioliche Neo-Rinascimentali prodotte fra il 1855 e il 1900. Le composizioni dei manufatti di Ginori, Castellani e Cantagalli sono nel complesso paragonabili: sono caratterizzate dalla presenza di ossido di piombo e alcali usati come fondenti, calce come stabilizzante, ossido di stagno come opacizzante e pigmenti e coloranti tradizionali. Nella maggior parte dei manufatti ottocenteschi analizzati è stato identificato anche lo zinco, che è particolarmente abbondante in quelli più tardi, realizzati circa nel 1900. L’ossido di zinco migliora le proprietà degli smalti stanniferi ed è stato usato sporadicamente anche in epoca pre-industriale, ma è diventato comunemente disponibile soltanto nell’Ottocento. La presenza diffusa di zinco è quindi il principale elemento che consente di distinguere gli smalti ottocenteschi analizzati da quelli rinascimentali, che altrimenti presentano una composizione notevolmente simile. Il confronto con la maiolica rinascimentale è stato basato sia sui dati disponibili in bibliografia che sull’analisi di tre manufatti del V&A: due pezzi originali che sono stati i modelli ispiratori rispettivamente di una copia di Cantagalli e di una di Castellani, e un piatto cinquecentesco con dei restauri ottocenteschi. Oltre allo zinco, sono stati identificati solo un numero limitato di elementi moderni, disponibili grazie all’industria chimica che si era recentemente sviluppata: coloranti contenenti cromo sono stati rivelati in pochi casi nelle maioliche di Castellani e Cantagalli; decorazioni a lustro contenenti oro, bismuto e uranio sono stati identificate in un piatto di Castellani al posto dell’argento e del rame delle ricette tradizionali. I risultati ottenuti hanno mostrato che le formulazioni tradizionali degli smalti erano ancora in uso per la produzione della maiolica nell’Ottocento, ma che anche materiali di recente sviluppo venivano introdotti nella manifattura. Quello acquisito in questo studio è il gruppo di dati più ampio disponibile sulla composizione di gioielli in oro e maioliche ottocenteschi e ha fornito informazioni preziose riguardo alle pratiche produttive di alcuni fra gli orafi e i ceramisti più popolari e influenti dell’Europa ottocentesca. This dissertation concerns the non-invasive compositional analysis of 19th-century gold jewellery and maiolica in historicist style. 19th-century artifacts are rarely investigated, and published data on the materials used for their production are much scarcer than in the case of ancient ones. The objective of this study was to acquire reference data, which will increase the existing knowledge on the materials used over the 19th century - a period marked by the transition from traditional to industrial production - and could be useful for the identification of forgeries produced at the time. Specifically, this research is focussed on: the jewels, today at the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia in Rome, made by the Castellani, a famous Roman family of goldsmiths, collectors and antiques dealers; and artistic maiolica, part of the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, made in Neo-Renaissance style by the Ginori and the Cantagalli manufactories, the main promoters of the revival of Italian maiolica, and the ceramist Torquato Castellani, member of the above-mentioned family of goldsmiths. In order to investigate intact objects in museum collections, non-invasive, in-situ analyses were performed: XRF spectroscopy with different set-ups was used to analyse the gold alloys and joining areas of Castellani jewels and the glazes of historicist Italian maiolica. The analysis of gold jewellery was carried out with the portable micro-XRF spectrometer built in house at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores of Seville: polycapillary lenses focus the spot of analysis to 30 μm and allowed the separate characterization of the gold foils, wires, granules and soldering areas of the 43 jewels analysed (made between the 1840s-1890s). The analysis showed that high-carat gold, with silver as the main alloying metal, was used by the Castellani and that the different elements of a jewel, including granules, were soldered with brazing alloys rich in silver. According to the Castellani this type of alloy was used by the Ancients. A zinc filter was added in front to the X-ray detector of the spectrometer: this technical modification allowed to determine that cadmium, an element added to brazing alloys from the second half of the 19th century, is not present in Castellani solders. Moreover, XRF analysis, and specifically the study of the relative intensities of the X-ray lines of gold, allowed to acquire information on the presence of superficial treatments on Castellani jewels. A commercial XRF spectrometer available at the V&A was used for the analysis of maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware). The elemental composition of the white ground glazes, the coloured glazes and the lustre decorations of 21 Neo-Renaissance wares made between 1855 and 1900 was characterized. The compositions of the wares by Ginori, Castellani and Cantagalli are overall similar, being characterised by the presence of lead oxide and alkali as fluxes, lime as stabilizer, tin oxide as opacifier and traditional colourants and pigments. Zinc was also detected in most of the 19th-century wares analysed, and was particularly abundant in the later wares made around 1900. Zinc oxide improves the properties of tin glazes and was sporadically used also in pre-industrial times, but it became commonly available only in the 19th century. The broad presence of zinc is the main feature that differentiates the 19th-century glazes analysed from Renaissance maiolica glazes, which otherwise have a remarkably similar composition. The comparison with Renaissance maiolica was based both on the data available in the literature and on the XRF analysis of three V&A wares: two original pieces which inspired a Cantagalli and a Castellani copy, respectively, and a 16th-century plate with 19th-century replacements. Beside zinc, only a few modern elements, available thanks to the recently-established chemical industry, were identified: chromium-containing colourants were occasionally detected in Castellani and Cantagalli creations; lustre decorations containing gold, bismuth and uranium, instead of the traditional metallic copper and silver, were identified in a dish by Castellani. The results obtained showed that traditional glaze formulations were still used in the production of maiolica in the 19th century, but that newly developed materials were being introduced as well. The most extensive set of compositional data on both 19th-century gold jewels and maiolica was acquired in this study and provided precious information on the production practices of some of the most popular and influential goldsmiths and ceramists of 19th-century Europe.

Text in English
Ancient Egyptian distinctive headdresses made from precious or semi-precious materials date to prehistoric times, indicating a growing sense of individuality and hierarchy. Women’s headdresses were indicators of rulership, divinity, social status, cultic affiliation and wealth. Visual evidence indicates that female identity was emphasised by external and outward appearance and headdresses in the form of diadems followed recognised stylistic dictates throughout the Dynastic Period. The floral and faunal motifs used in the embellishment were believed to have protective amuletic and magical powers. Although a considerable amount of investigation has been undertaken into the use of materials and techniques used in the manufacture of diadems, the incorporation of symbolism and iconography of these gendered artefacts as a means of interpreting visual messages and self-expression has largely been unexplored. The study has been limited to well-provenanced, extant Old, Middle and New Kingdom diadems housed in various museums worldwide.
Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
M.A. (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)

Found during archaeological excavations in the ruins and integrating the collection of the Monographic Museum of Conimbriga – National Museum, the bracelet object of study presents a base structure in gold and ornamentation with beads, constituting a beautiful example of roman jewellery. Through observation, with the naked eye and using a stereoscopic microscope, and from the selected literature review, some notes are presented on the materials, manufacturing techniques, history and symbology that may be associated with the bracelet. The methodology adopted followed the well-known models for the study of objects/artefacts of Edward Fleming (1974), Jules Prown (1982), Robert Elliot et al. (1994) and Susan Pearce (1994). The main result is the divergence of opinions regarding the material of the beads present in the bracelet.

Chapter 6 takes a closer look at the relationship between crime, gender, and the home through analysing the security devices that began populating middle-class houses from the mid-nineteenth century. Designed to be impenetrable and invisible to the wandering eye of the thief, locks and safes were increasingly decorated with particular rooms in mind, especially feminized, sexualized spaces such as the boudoir and the bedroom. The chapter analyses how this reflected the heightened publicity accorded burglaries of women’s jewellery, possessions which held their own gendered, emotional significance as tokens of love and familial bonds. Crime prevention began to reshape domestic space in this era, whether via locks and safe doors hidden beneath gloriously elaborate carvings and intricate metalwork or taking the form of burglar alarms with sensors fitted snugly between carpets, walls, and window-ledges, trailing pressure-points like a net around the home’s perimeter. While existing scholarship on the history of domestic space has thus far treated decoration and security separately, this chapter considers how the design and placement of anti-burglar devices crafted an interplay between boundaries and furnishings that maintained the facade of carefree residential harmony.

This chapter argues that black girls and women have been represented as having an archival function, which is a cultural response to the irretrievability of black history. The vampire manifests a fleshy, counter-temporality, since her extremely long life allows her to account for the past in a manner that challenges the official or conventional historical record. Octavia Butler’s Fledgling (2005), along with Jewelle Gomez’s 1991 black feminist vampire novel, The Gilda Stories, reimagine a counter-national dialectic between the past and present through the lives of black female vampires that appear much younger than their chronological ages. This chapter situates these young appearing, yet ancient, vampires as alternatives to the relic, the explicitly ancient figure of living history that provides audiences with an immediate connection to the past. Ernest Gaines reimagines the relic in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1971) and interrupts conventional narratives about temporality, which include historical time, chronological time, and national time. Through such an interruption, Gomez’s, Butler’s, and Gaines’s work reinvent alternatively non-hegemonic versions of what living history means.