Early 18th c Spanish Emerald Dress Jewel

A c. 1700 early 18th c Spanish or Spanish colonial ‘rosa de pecho’ dress jewel, of a circular openwork form in 22k yellow gold, set with 25 table cut emeralds in chiseled foliate settings with clean rub-over collets. Brooch fittings were added later. During the reign of Felipe IV (1621-1665), the ‘rosa de pecho’ (literally, a “chest/breast rosette”) became one of the most popular forms of Spanish jewelry. Originally worn on the chest in the center of the neckline, the ‘rosa’ evolved to become a general dress jewel by the end of the 17th century, achieving extraordinary diffusion throughout the Spanish empire. For example, the 1718 painting ‘Entry of Viceroy Archbishop Morcillo into Potosí’ show these ‘rosa’ jewels adorning the brims of gentlemen’s hats. Intended to be sewn directly onto fabric, from which it would rarely separate, most of these jewels had openwork frames and undecorated plain backs. A selection of eight late 17th c gold and emerald ‘rosas de pecho’ are illustrated in the paper “La joya antigua en Canarias. Análisis histórico a través de los tesoros marianos” by Jesús Pérez Morera. These jewels come from donatives made to various cathedrals and religious institutions on the Spanish Canary Islands, with workmanship identified as either New Granada (Spanish colonial) or Tenerife (Spanish).
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