Five-piece parure in original case

Unknown

third quarter 18th century · Gold, garnet; wood, shagreen, silk · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This matching set of jewelry, or parure, consists of different elements and includes a necklace, a pair of earrings, and two hair ornaments kept in their original case. Set in gold, the pieces are mounted with faceted garnets that have been backed by pink metal foil to enhance their color. Garnets were very fashionable in the eighteenth century and were used to create attractive and affordable jewelry especially for young women. The various detachable parts, such as the festoon and cross-shaped pendant of the necklace, and the lower pendants of the earrings, made the jewelry versatile and suitable to be worn by day or at night. Since the jewelry is not signed, it is not known who made this particular parure. Similarities to designs by Jean Baptiste Piauger published in his Traité des Pierres Précieuses et de la maniere de les employer en Parure of 1762, however, suggest a French origin.

Artist

Unknown

Date

third quarter 18th century

Medium

Gold, garnet; wood, shagreen, silk

Culture

Possibly French

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Evelyn D. Trebilcock, 2021