Vintage JAY STRONGWATER Neiman Marcus gold enamel photo frame

DETAILS • unsigned • gold tone with pearls and rhinestones • vintage designer clip on earrings MEASUREMENTS • 1" in diameter CONDITION • very good vintage condition with mini...

DETAILS • signed AK ANNE KLEIN • gold tone • vintage designer runway brooch MEASUREMENTS • 1.39" by 1.25" CONDITION • excellent vintage condition with minimal signs of wear ...

DETAILS • unsigned • gold tone with glass and enamel • vintage designer brooch MEASUREMENTS • 2.5" by 2.25" CONDITION • excellent vintage condition with minimal signs of wear ...

DETAILS • unsigned • gold tone with rhinestones • vintage designer clip on earrings MEASUREMENTS • 1.5" in diameter CONDITION • good vintage condition with minimal signs of...

DETAILS • unsigned • gold tone with pearl and rhinestones • vintage designer clip on earrings MEASUREMENTS • 1.25" in diameter CONDITION • good vintage condition with minim...

DETAILS • signed GIVENCHY • gold tone with glass • vintage designer clip on earrings MEASUREMENTS • 2.18" by 1.25" CONDITION • very good vintage condition with minimal signs ...

Pendant with Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven Western Europe, Southern Germany (?), Italy (?), c. 1550-1560 Gold, enamel, diamonds, and pearls Weight 13.2 gr; Length 36.9 x 31.2 mm (incl. pearls) This sumptuous image exudes regal power. It portrays the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven wearing a dress and crown studded with seven large diamonds and set against a translucent, rich blue celestial background. Far removed from the tender, humble Virgin seen in German and Netherlandish artworks of the period, she is a majestic ruler, mouth sternly set, head tilted upward, and face in full profile. The oval pendant cast in high gold relief with a central medallion, the single figure filling the space, echoes jewelry portraits of the aristocracy during the Renaissance, which similarly offset the ruler’s image against a blue field composed of enamel or lapis lazuli, symbolic of divine power Only the rays of the shining gold halo that emerge behind the Virgin’s head and her long flowing hair (instead of neatly coiffed) distinguish her from female ruler portraits of the period. Three studded pearls, forming an axis, also recall pendants of European rulers. Wealth, royal status, and divine power come together in this opulent pendant. Portraits of the period show similar small oval pendants worn by women in the square of the garment or by men nestled inside multiple chains below the base of the neck. PROVENANCE European Private Collection LITERATURE Compare images from ancient Rome, for example a sardonyx cameo with female head (Kugel 2000, no. 18; Milan, c. 1550), and a pendant with gold, pearls, and enamel in the Staatliche Museum Kassel (Schmidberger/Richter 2001, no. 43; France, c. 1555-1560). For ruler pendants with blue backgrounds see a pendant of King Frances I...

Edited by Anna Jackson and Amin Jaffer The word 'maharaja' - literally 'great king' - conjures up a vision of splendour and magnificence. This lavishly illustrated book examines the ...

An early twentieth century Faberge circular green enamel silver-gilt and gold pill box, the translucent grass green enamel upon an engine-turned guilloche ground with radiating patte...

An Imperial Fabergé silver-gilt and enamel thermometer, of rectangular form with semi-circular ends, the surface enamelled in translucent royal blue over banded wavy engine-turning w...

A Fabergé white enamel and diamond circular pill box, the translucent white enamel with undulating guilloché ground and circular rock crystal section to top and base, each with a ros...

A Fabergé yellow and rose gold miniature picture frame with pearl decoration and ribbon bow top, workmaster Michael Perchin, St Petersburg, circa 1895. This elegant miniature frame ...