Dress ornament (heftel)

Unknown

18th century, with later alterations · Gold, enamel, sapphire, semiprecious stones · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Dress ornaments were the height of fashion for Saxon women in Transylvania. They were originally worn as bodice clasps, but as rich women demanded larger and heavier examples so as to display their wealth, these pieces were also sometimes suspended from a cloth band around the neck. This object is among the few Hungarian goldsmith pieces that the Museum had before the gift of the Salgo Collection.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th century, with later alterations

Medium

Gold, enamel, sapphire, semiprecious stones

Culture

Hungarian

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917