Pendant in the shape of the letter C with two trinkets.
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Details
Title: Banér pendant
Creator: Unknown
Date Created: 1580/1600
Provenance: Uppland, Sweden
More Information: Nobleman Gustav Banér was probably given this pendant by Christina Sture when they married in 1581. It is made of gold and red enamel. Jewellery in the form of initials was popular during the Renaissance. Another feature typical of the Renaissance is the finishing pearl. The sapphire symbolised truth and loyalty, and was meant to protect the wearer from poverty and illness.
As advisor to the king, Gustav Banér (1547–1600) was a highly influential person. In the power struggle between Duke Karl and King Sigismund, he ultimately chose the losing side. Gustav Banér was beheaded in the Linköping Blood Bath of 1600. Immediately prior to that he gave his daughter Margareta the jewellery bearing his wife’s initial. The name of the jewellery maker is not known.
Materials and Techniques: Pendant with a blue ceylon sapphire and a white baroque pearl – hanging on a plated-link gold chain consisting of three individual chains attached to a narrow clasp.