Large Amphorae Earrings with Corals in Gold, c. 1880 & Later

Archaeological-style jewellery was the order of the day throughout Europe in the late 19th century. With their modern formal dresses, ladies wore pieces of jewelry that were reminiscent of a time long before their own era. Golden laurel wreaths adorned their foreheads, shiny amphorae dangled from their ears and necks - handmade and always elaborately ornamented, these pieces of jewellery brought the world of ancient peoples back to life in modern gaslight. These earrings are a fine example of this style, which was so fashionable at the time. Two elements were carved from coral and set in gold, whose rich sheen shimmers like the gold of the ancient peoples thanks to additional fine gilding. The two amphorae created in this way are reminiscent of the ancient Bacchanalia - the orgiastic festivals of Bacchus, the god of wine, intoxication and madness, in whose honor wine flowed and rams were sacrificed. The coral is the orange-red, so-called "Corallo Sciacca", which was discovered in 1875 off the town of the same name in Sicily. The earrings were probably created shortly afterwards. Under the pretext of classical education, even risqué themes such as bacchanalia became socially acceptable in Victorian society. Small details such as this piece of jewelry allowed contemporaries to dream themselves out of the strict rules of their era and into a supposedly freer past. In this way, the fantastic couple tells of the longings of Victorian society. We discovered the amphorae here in Berlin; they were probably made in Great Britain. Originally, they were part of a larger piece of jewelry, as you can see from the slightly different sizes of the amphorae. We added the ear hoops and gave the pair a new lease of life.

Stima:€2,190

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