Posted 10 years ago
kiwipaul
(117 items)
This Arts & Crafts Silver and Chalcedony Cross is big! It's 10cm (4in) high and 6cm (2.4in) wide. The hand made chain is 72cm (28in) long.
I've had several suggestions about possible makers, including Bernard Instone, Edith Linnell, and Mary Thew.
Flowering crosses have a special place in Arts & Crafts jewellery. The Tree of Life is often seen in A&C pieces.
The tree of life (in the Garden of Eden) was often believed to prefigure The Cross, and there are legends that the wood of Christ’s cross actually came from the tree of life, or from a tree that grew from seeds of the tree of life.
There is another legend that says that upon Christ’s death The Cross burst into blooming flowers.
Among the earliest items of A&C jewellery, are the floral crosses designed by Edward Burne-Jones for John Ruskin, to donate to Whitelands College in Chelsea for their "May Queen". The story of these can be seen here: http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/art/design/jewelry/gere/6.html
I'm still searching for one of these, let me know it you find one!
beautiful!!
Wow I love it, I've never seen a cross by Bernard Instone, I'm not sure if it is him. I need to go online and search. Thank you for posting kiwipaul.
I've found some sketches that were suggestions for crosses, by Bernard Instone unfortunately I can't paste them to your post, maybe I could put them on one of my post if your interested to see them Kiwipaul.
Thanks Jean, love to see them, let me know which post you add them into.
Hi kiwipaul, I have posted the sketches of the crosses that Bernard Instone designed. They are on my last Bernard Instone posting, a Silver leave, Citrine ring.
Lovely, organic piece, Paul. The silver and chalcedony combination is so unusual. What does the back look like?
Hi Bluboi, will take a pic of the back and show it in the next couple of days, cheers.
Added a pic of the back, the chalcedony settings have closed backs, and an interesting feature of the construction are the flattened balls that reinforce the cross arms and the ring at the top. These also help it to sit properly when worn.
Hi Paul, looking at the back of this cross I am more inclined to say that this isn't Bernard Instone. He has a very distinctive style to the back of his pieces which you recognise straight away. It is a very beautiful cross.
Hmm... thanks Jean, might mark this one as a mystery, my other thoughts were Edith Linnell or Mary Thew.
Jean, could you provide a link to a photo of a BI back? I cannot find anything in your CW album as it is too hard to search....
Thanks!
Hi Bluboi, I have a couple of Bernard Instone brooches, a Amethyst and Moonstone there you'll see the backs.
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/141044-silver-amethyst-brooch
Hi Bluboi, this is my Amethyst brooch there is one photo showing the back.
Thank you, Jean!
Beautiful piece!