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Fifteen Links Mounted as a Necklace
c. 1550–c. 1600
- Medium
- Gold, enamel, diamonds, and pearls
- Classification
- Costume and Accessories
- Dimensions
- H.: 53 cm (20 7/8 in.); At widest point: W.: 2.1 cm (1 13/16 in.)
- Culture
- Italy
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Applied Arts of Europe
- Credit line
- Bequest of Dorothy Braude Edinburg to the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
The symmetrical, openwork scrolls on eight links of this chain, or necklace, are likely based on engraving patterns that circulated among goldsmiths. As evidenced by countless Renaissance portraits, richly patterned chains like this example were integral embellishments to costly costume. Draped across the bust of a man or a woman and sometimes used to suspend a pendant, chains were an undeniable indication of wealth and status.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
