A Burgundian Reliquary Pendant

Jewelry in the Middle Ages was dominated by religious themes, although secular luxury was beginning to gain widespread reception. This Burgundian pendant, which was inherited by Emperor Charles V in the mid-16th century and later owned by an English aristocratic family, perfectly exemplifies the intermingling of religion and secular opulence in the late Middle Ages.  […]

Rise of Constantine the Great

A melting pot of jewelry influences, originating with Constantine the Great and the Eastern Roman Empire in Byzantium to Northern Europe, Southern Europe, the Black Sea, Pannonia and south of the Alps. No matter the location, jewelry has often been a subject of luxurious tastes and aristocracy, imperial courts and honorary gifts of merit, as […]