Antique Coral Brooch in the Archaeological Revival Style, c. 1875

Archaeological-style jewellery was all the rage throughout the 1860s and 1870s. Ladies wore pieces of jewellery with their modern evening gowns that evoked a time long, long before their own era. Golden laurel wreaths adorned their foreheads, and gleaming amphorae dangled from their ears and necks. Elaborate granulation techniques brought the world of ancient peoples back to life under modern gaslight, while coral was one of the most popular gemstones of those years—and not just for aesthetic reasons: As a stylistic device, it forged a direct link to Italy’s ancient treasures, having been harvested off its Mediterranean coast. The brooch presented here combines numerous motifs from the ancient visual tradition. Three amphorae carved from coral are arranged beneath a large ram’s head, evoking the ancient Bacchanalia—the orgiastic processions of Bacchus —god of wine, intoxication, and madness—in whose honor wine flowed and rams were sacrificed. Above them are five coral gems featuring the busts of men and women dressed in ancient-style garments. The coral is set in gold ornaments whose rich luster evokes the gold of ancient civilizations. Golden spheres enliven the magnificent design with their rich detail and lend the brooch its extraordinary impact. Under the guise of classical education, even daring themes such as the Bacchanalia became socially acceptable in Victorian society. Through small details such as jewellery, contemporaries were able to escape the strict constraints of their time and dream themselves into a supposedly freer past. Thus, this extraordinary brooch tells the story of the culture and dreams of Victorian society. We discovered it in Munich; it was likely crafted in Italy in the 1870s.

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