Katherine Cooke

I am a third-year student at SDSU studying English with a certificate in editing and publishing. I worked on the set design and graphics for the class production of Shakespeare’s Richard III. I am an artist, a writer, and a photographer. I have a passion for the arts and as such greatly enjoyed working on this wonderful class project.

 

 

 

Jewelry in the Medieval Era:

Gothic Style: 500-1500 A.D

• Replaced Romanesque style.
• High neck dresses were going out of fashion and lower cut dresses were coming in.
• Loose hair with delicate ornamental headpieces became the style.
• Gemstones and precious metals were readily available because of expanding trade and this caused a surge in the jewelry market.
• The gem cutting and metalsmithing industries grew.
• And because of the availability of gems and metals, laws were actually put in place to keep the lower class from owning certain types of jewelry.

Materials and Popular Aesthetics

• Gems were set against a plain background such as niello or enamel although gold was the most popular setting.
• Around 1290 A.D. basse-taille enamel replaced the ancient champlevé enamel.
  • After 70 years basse-taille was in turn replaced by émail en ronde bosse technique which allowed for three-dimensional images to be created. Plique à jour was first seen in 1375 and reemerged in the 15th century.
• Indian and Persian gem-cutting techniques allowed for a drastic change in jewelry style.
  • Diamonds had only been cut as octahedrons until that point and colored stones had only been cut as cabochons.
  • By the 14th century point and table cut diamonds were introduced.

Richy-Rich and His Bling

• Collar has roses each with four petals that represent the female creation of life i.e. the Virgin Mary in conjunction with the lozenge-shaped borders.
• The pearls with the lozenges enforce the idea of purity
• Fleur-de-lys and lilacs symbolize France, Richard’s Plantagenet heritage.
• Cap brooch is a Greek cross with five pearls and a ruby in the center
• Greek crosses do not represent crucifixion they represent the cardinal points and the spread of Christianity

Richy-Rich and His Bling Cont.

• This painting from the 16th century is based on a now lost portrait of Richard III painted between 1483 and 1485.
• Rose brooch on cap religious and personal meaning
  • Petals of jet or black agate center is a ruby
    • Jet agate: grief, mourning, and safe travel
    • Black agate: courage, boldness, vigor, and prosperity
    • Ruby: royalty
• Ring on the third finger of the left hand represents love, faithfulness, and marriage
• He is seen playing with his ring which may symbolize his readiness to remarry after Anne Neville’s death in 1485.

Elizabethan Era: 1558-1603

• Before Elizabeth’s reign, men had been wearing more jewelry than women. With her clear love of jewelry Elizabeth set a new trend of women wearing more elaborate and beautiful pieces than men.
• Low necklines had become popular after the beginning of the medieval era. However, in Elizabeth’s era, the high closed neckline was popularized again. Necklaces with large pendants were very ‘in’.
• Brooches, rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings (ear pickes), and watches were all commonly seen items. And they were usually made of gold and silver and inlaid with gems like diamonds, rubies, opals, and sapphires.
• Pearls were incredibly popular, owning a string of pearls or even a single pearl on a necklace was a fashion must.

Willy Shakes

Questions

1. What enamel style would have been popular during Richard III’s lifetime?

1. 1. Basse-taille
   2. Email en ronde bosse
   3. Plique à jour
   4. Champlevé
2. What is the significance of the rose-shaped cap-pin in the 16th-century portrait of Richard III?
   1. 1. It signifies the house of York
      2. It signifies his grief and personal strength
      3. It signifies his love for Anne
      4. Both a & b
3. Gothic jewelry directly followed and was inspired by which of the following periods?
   1. 1. Byzantine
      2. Renaissance
      3. Romanesque
      4. Germanic
4. What did Elizabeth bring back?
   1. 1. Ruffled collars
      2. High closed necklines
      3. Whiteface makeup
      4. Backstreet

Works Cited

Alchin, Linda. “Elizabethan Jewelry.” Elizabethan Era, 2012. Web. 11 March. 2018.

www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-jewelry.htm

Antique Jewelry University: Dynamic Online Encyclopedia, Antique Jewelry

University, Web. 1o March. 2018. www.langantiques.com/university/Medieval_Jewelry

“Portrait of Richard III.” Teaching History with 100 Objects, The British Museum, Web. 10

March. 2018. www.teachinghistory100.org/objects/about_the_object/portrait_of_richard_iii

Wilkinson, Josephine. “Religious and Personal Symbolism in Richard III’s

Jewellery.” Dr. Josephine Wilkinson, 5 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 March. 2018. www.josepha-josephine-wilkinson.blogspot.com/2013/03/religious-and-personal-symbolism-in.html