Historic Jewels and Distinctive Goldsmithing Masterpieces

Historic necklaces, rings that enclose secrets and techniques, hairpins, gold belts, and inlaid bracelets: these are simply among the jewels preserved on the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, in Milan. It stands within the neighborhood known as “Trend Quadrilateral,” the place the most important couture designers have their showrooms. It’s straightforward, due to this fact, to know how these masterpieces of goldsmithing from the previous affect trendy jewellery creators within the metropolis of vogue.

Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli, a really beneficiant man
The gathering of historic jewellery is without doubt one of the many collections on this museum, named after its founder, Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli. The nobleman transformed his “particular condo” to accommodate all of the treasures he had collected throughout his lifetime, amongst them weapons, clocks, work, statues, lace, and furnishings. Moreover, the museum holds over 300 items of goldsmithing, starting from the seventh century BCE to after the founder’s loss of life.

In 1879, Poldi Pezzoli handed away, leaving all the pieces to the neighborhood. After the museum’s founding, many artwork and jewellery lovers continued to depart their collections to it.

Jewels are even within the image of the museum
Probably the most well-known portray within the Poldi Pezzoli Museum is Portrait of a Woman, by Piero del Pollaiolo. Executed between 1470 and 1475, it depicts a noblewoman sporting a valuable necklace wealthy in symbols. The white of the pearls evokes purity and virginity, the ruby within the pendant, romantic ardour. In her hair, the lady has a string of small pearls, completely linked to one another. This demonstrates how nicely the painter knew the goldsmithing artwork of his time.

The jewellery assortment is split into 4 sections

• Enamels. These had been very modern within the nineteenth century
• Ecclesiastical goldsmithing. This class contains crosses, cups, and chalices from Italian and international church buildings and convents
• Objets de vertu . The small luxurious objects for private care comprise issues akin to fragrance bottles, needle instances, cutlery, and lots of different trinkets
• Private jewellery. Along with necklaces belonging to the founder’s mom, there are valuable objects bought all through Europe. Poldi Pezzoli, in actual fact, regardless of his love for the Renaissance, selected jewellery from all eras for his assortment, at all times searching for the best creative expression in each acquired object

Renaissance pendants within the form of ships
Among the many private jewellery, the pendant depicting a Venetian caravel from the late sixteenth century stands out. The tiny ship is product of gold, pearls, and enamels. One other one represents the Invincible Armada. It seems that Elizabeth I gave it to one among her commanders. The pendant consists of two oval parts related to one another, adorned with polychrome enamels and a body with 43 rubies. These had been held on necklaces, however is also used to adorn the hair, or as a pendant on bracelets.

Rings that enclose secrets and techniques … not at all times good ones!
There are about 50 rings, every extra stunning than the opposite. Some are really distinctive, such because the one formed like a cranium or the one formed like a Carnival masks. The masks has diamond eyes and may be opened. The ring dates again to 1725 and was in all probability made in Venice, the birthplace of Casanova. Is that this why a small purple enamel coronary heart is hidden inside?

One other unbelievable ring dates again to 1550. This one, nonetheless, doesn’t include messages of affection. Its small casket, with 4 pearls on prime, was used to hide poison. The jewel opens due to an nearly invisible hinge. This technical answer can be patented solely centuries later by the jeweler and goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé for his well-known snuffboxes.

Parures impressed by historic Greece
It’s stated that Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli was a “mamma’s boy” to the extent that after the loss of life of his beloved mom, he had a bust product of her. Day-after-day, he would place the jewellery worn by the deceased on the statue. Amongst these had been definitely the parures displayed within the assortment. There’s the one created by the well-known goldsmith Fortunato Pio Castellani (1794–1865). Castellani was identified for imitating Greek or Etruscan jewellery. The necklace proven above consists of 12 giant oval cameos, in gold and agate. The brooch has 4 smaller ones. The earrings have two even smaller cameos. All of them depict photographs from Greek mythology, such because the heads of “Athena the Virgin,” Cupid and Psyche, or Medusa.

Removable necklaces for practical magnificence
Within the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment, gems had been now not used for his or her magical and symbolic qualities as they had been within the Center Ages. Due to this fact, even within the case of the necklace proven above, the selection to make use of silver, topaz, amethysts, and zircons was definitely dictated by the need to create a lovely mixture of colours, maybe linked to the apparel for which the jewellery was meant. The necklace is made up of 17 removable items. The pendant is also used as a brooch or a hairpin. The aspect components, however, might be became two bracelets. This demonstrates how in jewellery performance can mix with magnificence.

Coral creations
Many objects within the assortment are product of Neapolitan coral, together with this small comb in tortoiseshell from round 1865. It was used to brighten hairstyles. Due to the coral inlay, depicting a garland of fruit and flowers, it turns into a real jewel for show within the hair. The small comb is a part of a parure, which additionally features a necklace, earrings, brooch, and bracelet. The “flowers and fruits” approach is typical of Neapolitan coral manufacturing, significantly in Torre del Greco from the fifteenth century.

Spiritual goldsmithing: from chalices to crosses
Through the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte, many spiritual orders had been suppressed. In consequence, church properties had been bought. Nonetheless, for hundreds of years, they’d been completely preserved to be used in ceremonies. As proof, one want solely take a look at the luxurious Baroque gold and enamel chalice, a piece by the Swiss goldsmith Hans Jacob II Läublin, marked together with his initials, “JHL. ” The goldsmith, who specialised in these non secular objects, was commissioned by the Swiss abbot Bonifatius II zur Gilgen (1664–1724). That is evidenced by the household crest, a protect with three white lilies and a miter—the abbot’s hat—atop an angel’s head.

When luxurious transforms on a regular basis objects
Jewelers and goldsmiths produced objects of advantage, specifically small private care jewels, in metals and gems. That is the case of the case for small scissors from the seventeenth century, produced in rock crystal, diamonds, and rubies.

Admire the women’ nécessaire in gold, silver, agate, ivory, copper, wooden, and diamond. It comprises six instruments, together with a small razor, tiny scissors, and a nail file, the latter in gold.

Timepieces which are masterpieces
Historic watches have an area all to themselves contained in the museum. Nonetheless, lots of them are actual jewels to be displayed, like pendants hanging on a necklace. This clock, formed like a small harp, in gold, pearls, diamonds, and enamels, was made in Switzerland originally of the nineteenth century.

It nonetheless enchants our eyes, as do the various items within the Poldi Pezzoli Museum. Don’t miss this treasure while you’re in Milan.

The Poldi Pezzoli Museum is at By way of Manzoni 12, in Milan.  To go to its web site, click on right here.

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