Portuguese Rococo Girandole Topaz Pendant

A c. 1760-70 Portuguese Rococo girandole pendant, set with 60 imperial topaz (approx. 17.9 ctw) and five color-foiled amethysts. The overall color palette of pale yellow, peach, and orange topaz, paired against pale purple, is restrained and soft, conforming to Rococo passion for pastel tones. Both the topazes and amethysts would have been sourced from Brazil’s Minas Gerais mines. Like most pendants from this period, the back is fitted with a hook-like catch to facilitate attachment to ribbon chokers or the front of bodices rather than chains. The pendant’s shape and form is one of the most recognizable Portuguese designs from the mid 18th century, with a flowerhead finial, curving foliate body, and three tear shaped cluster-form drops. Named after a lighting fixture with branched arms, girandole jewels first emerged c.1650 and was one of the most popular jewel types until the late 18th century. Its attractiveness can in large part be attributed to a harmonious balance of form that pairs three horizontal elements (head, body, ‘foot’) with three vertical ones (the parallel drops). For a topaz girandole of similar design, also c. 1760-70, see cat. 94, p. 70 of “Five Centuries of Jewellery: National Museum of Ancient Art, Lisbon” by Leonor d’Orey. Polychrome Portuguese Rococo jewels are somewhat less common than monochrome ones; a polychrome example with amethyst centers like the present pendant can be found on cat. 116, p. 86 of the aforementioned reference book.
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Description

Date: c. 1760-70

Materials: Brazilian topaz (tested), amethyst, foiled quartz, silver

Weight: 26.5 grams

Workmanship origin: Portuguese

Width of pendant: 50 mm

Height of pendant: 55 mm

Dimension of topazes: 60 total (measured in mm) — ten 3.5 x 3.5 cushion, four 5.25 round, two 5 x 3.6 triangular, two 4.25 x 3.6 rectangular, one 4 x 3.25 trapezoidal, one 4.5 x 4 rectangular, one 5 x 4 oval, three 4.5 x 3.5 oval, one 4.6 x 4.25 cushion, two 5 x 4.6 cushion, one 4.75 x 4.5 cushion, two 4.25 x 3.5 cushion, three 4.4 x 3.6 cushion, two 4 x 3.6 oval, one 3.8 x 3.6 cushion, one 3.7 x 3.3 cushion, one 3.75 x 3 rectangular, two 4.2 x 4.2 square, two 3.6 x 3.6 square, one 4.5 x 3.5 triangular, one 4.2 x 4 rectangular, two 4.5 x 4 triangular, two 4 x 3.6 rectangular, one 5.5 x 3.25 triangular, one 5.25 x 5 cushion, one 5.5 x 4.4 cushion, one 4.6 x 4.6 cushion, one 4.2 x 3.6 pear, two 3.6 x 3 cushion, two 3.8 x 3.6 cushion, one 4.5 x 4.5 pear, two 3.4 x 3.2 cushion

Approx. weight of topazes: 17.9 ctw

Dimension of amethysts: 5 total — one 8.25 mm round, one 8 mm round, one 14 x 8.5 mm pear, two 9 x 6 mm pear

Condition: in origin condition without later modification or repair. Some age-related surface wear through out: gems with facet junction abrasions and light scratches to tables (loupe visible, but not noticeable with the naked eye); one small topaz in a drop halo with a 2 mm scrat-like cavity; another halo topaz with two pin-sized cavities. Patina and tarnish to the silver.

Portuguese Rococo Girandole Topaz Pendant

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