The purpose of the research is to identify the materials, manufacturing techniques and art-historical backgrounds of various pieces of jewellery, starting with a pendant in the form of a flying Cupid.

About the project

The Rijksmuseum has in its collection over 40 pieces of jewellery from the second half of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century. It is a period marked by sculptural design and the use of multicoloured enamel and precious stones. The ornaments were worn in different ways by both men and women. The names of the owners are known in a very few cases, but just like the maker and the place of origin it is often a mystery. In the nineteenth century these pieces of jewellery were popular collectables, but their rarity also spawned forgeries or radically modified pieces.

Aim of the project

The purpose of the project is to employ various non-invasive research techniques to determine the physical and technical aspects of the pieces. The results provide an insight into the goldsmithing techniques, but may also reveal the possible workshops or places of origin when combined with archival and literature research.

The Cupid pendant is a good starting point, not only because of its excellent condition, but also because we have more information on its origin and there are comparable pendants in other European collections. Comparative research centering on those pendants will focus on technical similarities and differences.

Related publications

staff

Suzanne van Leeuwen
s.van.leeuwen@rijksmuseum.nl
Junior Curator and Conservator of Jewels

Joosje van Bennekom
j.van.bennekom@rijksmuseum.nl
Head of Metal Conservation

Tonny Beentjes
t.p.c.beentjes@uva.nl
Coordinator Metal Conservation programme and Researcher

Related projects

Database of historical enamel compositions.

Partners and sponsors

This project is supported by the Tiffany & Co. Foundation.