A Renaissance Gold And Enamel Pearl Pendant

This exquisite 16th-century Renaissance pendant captures the era’s fascination with nature and luxury, showcasing a harmonious blend of precious materials and artistic symbolism. Crafted in rich gold, this pendant features a large, natural pearl, carefully set with a ruby and a garnet, evoking the likeness of an ermine’s head. The ermine, an emblem of purity and nobility, was a favoured symbol among the elite of the period. Ermine’s heads were sometimes mounted in gold and worn as pendants, underscoring the wearer’s high status and wealth.

The central pearl of this pendant is of remarkable size for the period, a rarity in the 16th century when large, natural pearls were highly prized but difficult to obtain. Unlike the cultured pearls of later centuries, natural pearls of such scale were products of chance, formed over decades in the depths of the sea. This made them more precious than gold or gemstones, and they became coveted treasures of the aristocracy.

What makes this pendant especially rare is its survival across centuries. Large natural pearls from the Renaissance are seldom found in collections and museums, as many were disassembled or lost to time. Similar pendants, featuring large pearls or other significant adornments, are typically seen only in portraits from the period, where noblewomen are depicted wearing elaborate jewels that has rarely endured the passage of time.

The pendant not only showcases the craftsmanship of the Renaissance but also serves as a tangible link to the period’s aesthetic and social values. The pearl, symbolising wealth and purity, paired with the ermine, an animal associated with nobility and moral integrity, speaks to the virtues celebrated by the elite of the time. As a rare surviving piece, this pendant offers a glimpse into the luxury and symbolism that defined 16th-century European courtly life, where such grand pearls were prized above all and immortalised in art, but are now seldom seen in physical form.

Origin: European

Date: Circa 1570

Materials: Gold, enamel, pearl ruby and garnet 

Measurements: 3.9  X 2 cm 

The Chain: 53 cm

The Pearl: 160 mm X 165 mm