A Testament of Love: Flemish Rococo Diamond Pendant

An exquisite circa 1700 Flemish heart pendant, emblematic of Rococo vivacity with its elaborate design rooted in Baroque artistry. This Belgian piece, absent of control marks, yet confidently attributed to the period, encapsulates romance through its heart-shaped silhouette set with thirty-eight rose-cut diamonds. Adorned with either a regal crown or a love trophy crowning, it reflects the triumph of love with symbols of ardour—torch, quiver, bow, and laurel—intertwined in a harmonious composition, crafted in fine silver.

Antique jewelry object group: pendant

Condition: very good condition
  -  (more info on our condition scale)

Country of origin: Although it does not carry any legible control marks we believe this to be of Belgian origin.

Style: Rococo - Rococo (less commonly roccoco) also referred to as "Late Baroque" is an 18th century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly more ornate, florid, and playful. Rococo rooms were designed as total works of art with elegant and ornate furniture, small sculptures, ornamental mirrors, and tapestry complementing architecture, reliefs, and wall paintings. It was largely supplanted by the Neoclassic style. In 1835 the Dictionary of the French Academy stated that the word Rococo "usually covers the kind of ornament, style and design associated with Louis XV's reign and the beginning of that of Louis XVI". It includes therefore, all types of art produced around the middle of the 18th century in France.
  -  See also: Rococo or more info on styles

Style specifics: Baroque is a style in art and decoration that developed shortly before 1600 and remained current in Europe until the emergence of the Rococo style c.1730. It was started in Italy, and spread to Germany, Austria, the Low Countries, and Spain and Portugal, with only a somewhat severely classical version being popular in France under Louis XIV. The style was a development of the Renaissance style and is characterized by lively, curved, and exuberant forms, by vigorous movement, and by rich ornament, based on classical sources, being symmetrical as distinguished from the asymmetry of the following Rococo style.

Period: ca. 1700
  -  (events & facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era)

Source of inspiration: Love and romance

Theme: Flemish Heart - One of the most peculiar and wide spread Flemish pieces of regional jewelry is a diamond heart pendant the so-called "Vlaams hart" (Dutch for “Flemish heart"). These hearts were fashionable in the 19th century and mostly made in gold backed silver (see also the silver on gold technique). A Flemish heart is a heart shaped field set with rose cut diamonds and/or senelles hanging under a crowning.

There are two sorts of crownings possible:
1) The crowing is a crown and then it is build up from horizontal, diamond embellished, tendrils that are resting on a smooth surfaced ajour cut band with flattened little rhombic bars. The tendrils from the top incline slightly over this ajour cut band towards the actual cross emphasizing the unity of the jewel.

2) The crowing as love trophy. A collection of four elements, a torch and quiver that are crossing each other, a bow that is horizontal mingled with them and all held together by a laurel. The slightly upwards direction of both ends of the bow refers to the St. Andrew's cross. Torch, quiver and bow are typical attributes to Amor (Eros) and the laurel refers to the triumph of love. This combination was already in use with the old Greek and Romans and later of course in the Renaissance and had a enormous success in France in the Louis XVI period (1774-1793).

Material: Silver
  -  (more info on precious metals)

Technique: The rose cuts are set on foil. This is a special technique that was used to bring the lustre of the diamonds to its best quality.

Diamond(s): 38 rose cut diamonds and senailles . A senaille is a simplified rose cut diamond, a small diamond chip with perhaps a few polished facets. We do not have the weight of the rose cuts diamonds nor the senailles which is normal in our trade when it comes to rose cut diamonds and senailles.

- All diamonds we offer are screened by the IJGC - lab (www.ijgc-worldwide.com ) for whether they are natural or synthetic, and all diamonds in this jewel are 100% guaranteed to be natural.

Birthstones: Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April.
  -  (more info on birthstones)

Hallmarks: No trace.
  -  (more info on hallmarks)

Dimensions: height 4,70 cm (1,85 inch) - See picture with a ruler in cm and inches

Weight: 6,90 gram (4,44 dwt)

Adin Reference Nº: 20296-0349

Copyright photography: Adin, fine antique jewellery

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