Antique Brooch Made of Bohemian Garnets and Pearls, Circa 1845 and Later

The predecessors of the modern brooch were fibulae, which served as clasps for cloaks and other garments. Similar in construction to a safety pin, these ornaments were used to fasten clothing at the shoulders. Yet their significance extended beyond their practical function: fibulae also served as visible expressions of their owners’ social standing. As early as the Bronze Age, they were embellished with figurative motifs and elaborate ornamentation. In Roman times, some fibulae were so richly decorated that they became subject to luxury taxation. For almost three millennia, the fibula – and, from the Middle Ages onwards, a related type of fastening known as the Fürspann – remained an important means of securing garments. With the introduction and increasing use of buttons, however, these traditional fastenings gradually lost their practical importance. This change allowed them to develop into purely ornamental pieces of jewellery, a transformation that became particularly evident at the court of Louis XIV in the 17th century. The present brooch is composed of vivid red garnets interspersed with small natural pearls, whose delicate, creamy-white tones provide a subtle contrast. The stones are set in tombac, a copper-zinc alloy commonly employed in jewellery of the period. The composition is slightly asymmetrical. As the brooch fitting was added at a later date, it seems probable that the garnet ornament originally formed part of a larger piece of jewellery. It may once have belonged to a necklace or a pendant earring. The piece was acquired in Berlin in its present form.

Estimate:£165.19

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