Spanish Colonial Philippines Gold Tamborin Necklace

An mid 18th-early 19th century solid gold devotional necklace, sourced from Madrid but originally made in Spanish colonial Philippines, the chain with 150 gold beads of the most intricate workmanship, with an attached cross reliquary of glass and filigree. The workmanship origin can be supported by a small collection of Spanish colonial jewelry from the Philippines in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, donated in 1912 by the financier J. P. Morgan, and dated broadly by the museum as 17th – 19th century. In particular, the present necklace bears strong resemblance to two pieces in the MET collection: accession numbers 12.176.6 and 12.176.11. According to V&A curator Clare Phillips, “archaeological explorations of shipwrecked Spanish galleons have revealed that in the 17th century the Spanish were importing European-style jewelry from the Philippines, evidence of a surprising degree of cross-fertilization between East and West at this date. The galleon Nuestra Señora de la Concepción sank in 1638 between Manila and Acapulco with a cargo of decorated gold mesh chains and filigree buttons intended for the European market. It is thought that they were made in the Philippines in workshops where Chinese craftsmen were overseen by Spanish goldsmiths” (p. 100, “Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Present”). Spanish governance of the Philippines lasted from 1565-1898, during this long period, native Filipinos who have converted to Catholicism displayed their faith much like their counterparts in Spain, via the wearing of devotional jewelry. Necklaces similar to the present example became popular around the mid-18th century, and were commonly called “tamborin” or “tamburin” necklaces by the natives, so named for their intricate filigree work, which resemble embroidery thread spooled around “tambour” frames used in needlework. Patterned after the European rosary, these tamborin necklaces usually consist of a chain of breads, arranged in sets of twelve or fifteen to mark the repetitions of prayers and devotions (such as the twelve-word Jesus prayer, or the Fifteen Rosary Promises). A crucifix or reliquary is usually attached at the end. According to author Ramon Villegas in “Kayamanan: The Philippine Jewelry Tradition”, tamborins made after the early 19th century lost some of their religious nature, adopting more decorative floral and foliate motifs. Those of later manufacture are silver, brass, or gold-plated. Old solid gold beads are considered heirlooms in the Philippines and are difficult to find, having been divided amongst family or melted down over time.
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