Victorian Angel Brooch Sistine Chapel

NWS 6-1187

~ This little guardian angel is a transfer image with hand-painted details onto an oval, slightly domed, porcelain plaque. Though it is not marked as Limoges, it has the characteristic artist's number on the back, stamped "22".

~ The angel has been bezel set into a brass frame, with a rope twisted edge. There are three small touches of verdigris on the brass.

~ The brooch measures 2.25" wide and 2.5" high.

~ Retains its original pin stem, with "C" clasp.

~ This image was a popular one in Victorian times. Like the micromosaic jewelry from Italy that we see from the same period, these tokens were popular with tourists taking the Grand Tour of Europe. Similar to the way we would buy postcards a century, Victorians would purchase mementos in the form of jewelry, with scenes or symbols of the places they had visited. This brooch depicts an angel of God, immortalized on the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. Shown at right: Raffaello Santi, "Two Cherubini". This  brooch is a copy of the angel on the left.

~ Featured the book, Understanding Jewelry, by Bennett & Mascetti, p. 165

c. 1870-90, in excellent vintage condition, with one tiny fleck of pigment missing from the angel's cheek.

Price =  85.00 vict, b6, people