Terms and conditions of use
Parure
(c. 1860)
Medium
coral, gold
Measurements
(a) 5.0 × 15.7 × 10.1 cm (tiara)
(b) 5.6 × 3.7 × 1.8 cm (pendant)
(c) 19.6 × 17.4 × 1.2 cm (necklace)
(d) 6.6 × 5.7 × 4.4 cm (bracelet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1978
Gallery location
18th & 19th Century Decorative Arts & Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Parures were typically made from a variety of precious and non-precious materials. This finely carved suite of jewellery is made from conch shell, with its distinctive layers of pink and white. These natural striations of colour also made the conch shell a popular material for cameo-carving in the nineteenth century. The taste for historical revivalism during the second half of the nineteenth century is reflected in the classical motifs found in this parure, including winged putti figures, portrait busts, scallop shells and dolphins. Despite being carved from a non-precious material, the unusualness of the shell together with the sheer skill and virtuosity of the carving mean that this work would have been a highly valued Grand Tour purchase.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
(Naples), Italy
Accession Number
D112.a-d-1978
Department
International Decorative Arts
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Dame Carol Colburn-Grigor CBE through Metal Manufactures Limited