Historic Enamels in Britain - No 1 The Alfred Jewel
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- Parent Category: Technical Articles from Journal Back Copies
- Category: Technical Articles 1998
There are certain 'milestone' objects with enamel, in treasuries and museums in Britain, which feature in virtually all historic surveys. The famous Alfred Jewel is one of these.
This jewel is of tear-drop shape and it is composed of three elements: the superb granulated, animalistic gold setting, the rock crystal cover and the gold cloisonné plaque at its centre.
It was discovered in Newton Park, Somerset in 1693, and since 1718, it has been one of the great treasures of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.