Jewellery That Dazzles: My Top Three Objects from the V&A.
A little visit…
With the lowering of restrictions a few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Founded by Sir Henry Cole (1808–1882) in 1852, the museum has it’s origins in the Great Exhibition of 1851, with several of its exhibits forming the basis of the collection. This collection has grown to contain one of the most extensive records of art and design in the world, one of the most striking parts is the jewellery. Whilst most of the jewellery is housed in the William and Judith Bollinger Gallery, a space dedicated to presenting an array of pieces which span across centuries and cultures, it’s stunning collection is not restricted to these rooms. Below are the top three pieces of jewellery that caught my eye.
Spray Ornament
Created around 1850, this piece would have been worn as a bodice ornament. I was actually aware of it before visiting the museum as it was featured on the BBC documentary series ‘Secrets of the Museum’. Whilst it followed the naturalistic style of the time, being decorated with flowers and fruits made of diamonds, what caught my eye was the fact that some of the flowers actually moved. Through watching ‘Secrets of the Museum’ I learned that some of the diamond flowers were set on springs so that when the wearer made the slightest motion they would bounce a little, causing them to catch the light and thus the attention of anybody who happened to be in the room with the wearer!
Bridal Crown
Created by Lauritz Hammer in Bergen, Norway in 1863, this crown was possibly made for a bride on her wedding day. Having special jewellery to commemorate someone’s wedding day is traditional in many countries and bridal crowns or tiaras were very common in West Norway. I enjoyed looking into the symbolism of this crown with the lions representing strength and the birds representing fertility. The dangling leaves and bud-shaped pendants are typical in Scandinavian jewellery and are intended to dissuade evil spirits.
Queen Victoria’s Sapphire and Diamond Coronet
Whilst striking, it is the story behind the coronet that caught my attention. Most people view the marriage of Queen Victoria (1819–1901)and Prince Albert (1819–1861) as a love match. This coronet was designed for Victoria by Prince Albert in 1840 the wedding year of the couple. It was subsequently made by Joseph Kitching who was one half of Kitching and Abud (founded 1824), the appointed jewellers of the Queen. She appeared with the coronet instead of her crown when opening parliament in 1866, five years after Prince Albert’s death.
Conclusions
I could spend days at the Victoria and Albert Museum and still find things that fascinate me so picking three items out of their extensive collection was hard. But I hope the ones I chose have peaked interest and that it encourages you to explore both internationally recognised museums and more local ones.
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