Origin of Name :-
The "Triton Pendant" and the "Centaur"
are two sculptural jewels that were displayed at the traveling
exhibition, Pearls : A Natural History, organized by the American Museum
of Natural History, New York, in collaboration with the Field Museum of
Chicago, that was first held in New York in October 2001, and
subsequently in museums around the United States, and countries like
Canada, Japan, Australia, The United Arab Emirates and France, until the
year 2008. The two sculptural jewels are examples of late Renaissance
jewels or jewels inspired by such designs of a subsequent period, that
incorporated a large baroque pearl as its center piece, which together
with other gemstones, gold and enameling formed a pre-conceived shape
that was visualized by the Renaissance craftsmen. Such jewels known as
"sculptural jewels" originated in Western European countries, such as
France, Spain, Netherlands, Bavaria, and Florence, during the late
Renaissance period from the 16th to 17th centuries, and was as a result
of the skill, genius and inventiveness of the jewelry craftsmen of this
period, who designed and popularized such jewels, in order to make good
use of the large number of irregular shaped nacreous pearls, known as
baroque pearls, that had accumulated among the stocks of pearl dealers
of the period, with no apparent use in traditional jewelry settings.
Some of the common designs in which sculptural jewels were
turned out include, dragons, monsters, sea horses, dolphins, mermen.
mermaids, and other mythical creatures, and naturalistic themes such as
birds and mammals. The "Triton" and "Centaur" used as the designs for the
two jewels, that form the subject of this webpage, are also creatures
from Greek mythology.
The Triton Pendant
The design of the
pendant
The design of this pendant was inspired by the Greek
mythological god Triton, the messenger of the deep sea, who is the son
of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Amphitrite, the goddess of the sea,
said to be living with his parents in a golden palace in the depths of
the sea.
Triton is usually represented as a merman, whose upper half of the body
is human, and the lower half, like the tail of a fish. Triton, like
Poseidon carried a trident in one hand. In his other hand he carried a
twisted conch shell, which he blew like a trumpet to calm or raise the
waves.
Characteristics of
the pendant
The design of this pendant appears to have been
inspired by the torso-shaped baroque pearl, which is the centerpiece of
the pendant. Apart from this other components of the pendant include
natural pearls, rubies, gold and enamel. The head and hands of the
merman are made of engraved enameled gold, with a color matching the
color of the torso. The fishtail-like lower half of the merman is also
made up of enameled gold, the color of the enamel being dark blue.
Triton is carrying a trident in his left hand and a trumpet in his right
hand.
The Triton Pendant
©American Museum
of Natural History
The pendant is suspended by two gold chains, studded
with pearls. The short chain which is attached to the trident is studded
with three spherical shaped pearls. The longer chain attached to the
tail of the Triton is studded with four spherical pearls. At the point
where the two chains meet, a large drop-shaped white pearl is suspended.
There are four rubies in the pendant; two rubies situated at the end of
the merman's tail; a third ruby near the waist region; and the fourth
ruby at the point where the two chains meet, and the drop-shaped pearl
is suspended.
The Triton pendant
originated during the Renaissance revival period ?
The Triton pendant is part of the collection of
jewelry of the American Museum of Natural History. It is believed to
have originated in Italy in the mid 1800s. However, sculptural pendants
first appeared in the history of jewelry crafting in the late
Renaissance period, from the 16th to 17th centuries, in western European
countries, such as France, Spain, Netherlands, Bavaria and Florence.
Florence in Italy was a important center of jewelry designing during
this period, where the renowned sculptor and goldsmith, Benvenuto
Cellini lived and worked. One of the well-known sculptural pendants
ascribed to this master craftsman was the Canning Jewel, which is today
part of the collection of the Victoria Albert Museum.
The Triton Pendant believed to have been crafted in
Italy, might also have originated in Florence, where the tradition of
jewelry crafting had been maintained till modern times. The probable
period of origin of the pendant believed to be the mid 1800s,
corresponds with what is now known as the "Renaissance revival period,"
when the jewelry designs of the Renaissance period, made a brief come
back. The "Renaissance revival period" started somewhere in the
mid-1800s, but peaked in the 1860s and 1870s, during the mid or high
Victorian period, also known as the Grand Period, because of the grand
way in which gemstones and metals were used in the manufacture of
jewelry. The discovery of gold in America and Australia, made available
this precious metal in large quantities to jewelry designers, leading to
the revival of ancient gold working techniques and designs, such as
Etruscan, Egyptian, Classical and Renaissance styles.
The Centaur
The design of the
jewel
The design of this sculptural jewel was inspired by
the Greek mythological creatures, the Centaurs, a race of creatures
composed of part human and part horse, usually depicted with the torso
of a human joined at the waist to the horse's withers, where the horses
neck would be. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as wild as
untamed horses, and were symbolic of chaos and unbridled passions. The
conflict between Centaurs and Lapithae, two warring peoples who were
cousins, due to their common ancestry from the sons of Ixion, is
considered as a metaphor for the conflict between the lower appetites
and civilized behavior in humankind, or a struggle between civilization
and barbarism. In spite of the widespread belief in the existence of
Centaurs in ancient times, a Greek philosopher in the first century
B.C., Lucretius, denied their existence, based on a rational explanation
comparing the growth rates of horses and animals. While at three years,
when horses are in the prime of their life, humans are still little more
than babies, making hybrid animals between the two impossible.
Characteristic of the
jewel
A natural nacreous baroque pearl forms the torso of
the Centaur, the Greek mythological creature who is half man and half
horse. The baroque pearl has a length of 4 ins (10.2 cm) and
circumference of 6 ins (15.2 cm), and is considered to be one of the
largest such pearls in the world. The remaining parts of the Centaur,
such as the head and the hands of the human part, and the body, four
legs and tail of the horse, are made out of gold. Certain parts of the
gold have been enameled, such as the region that looks like a saddle on
the back of the horse, and the shoulders of the human part where the
hands join the torso. The Centaur, which is represented in a galloping
posture, has three of its hoofs touching the mount, while one of the
front legs has been raised up, and does not touch the mount.
The Centaur
©American Museum
of Natural History
The possible country
and period of origin of the Centaur
The Centaur belongs to the private collection of an
European family, and was given on loan to the AMNH for its traveling
exhibition. The period and country of origin of this sculptural jewel is
not known, but according to our knowledge of such creations, we
know that it could be a piece of the late Renaissance period from the
16th to 17th centuries, or Renaissance revival period of the mid-19th
century, from around 1840 to 1870. The country of origin could be any
one of the west European countries, like France, Spain, Netherlands,
Bavaria and Florence, where the art of producing such sculptural jewels
were prevalent during these periods.
You are welcome to discuss this
post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the
world in our
FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
Related :-
1)
The Canning Jewel
2)
Sea Dragon Pendant in the Waddesdon Bequest at the British Museum.
3)
Sculptural Pendants at the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
External Links :-
Eretz Elana - Going for Baroque -
www.eretzelana.typepad.com
References :-
1) Centaur - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2) Triton (mythology) - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
3) History of Jewelry - Parts 1 to 6.
www.jewelsforme.com
