Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Esterhazy Marriage Collar
(Baroque Europe , Jewelry)
This elegant, jeweled wedding collar (incomplete) was reputedly worn by the scion of a powerful Hungarian noble family allied with the Habsburgs, Palatine Miklos Esterhazy, at his wedding in 1611. The design evokes a stylized flower garland interspersed with references to love and marriage, including right hands clasped around a heart (union based on good faith and love), doves (affection), cornucopias (prosperity), and forget-me-nots (loyalty). Such a piece of ritual jewelry could be valued as a striking symbol of the fundamental importance of marital alliances to the Habsburgs.
The associated ornament has two hooks on the back for fastening it to clothing.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Counts Esterhazy, by inheritance; Bishop Sigismund Bubics (Zsigmund Bubics) of Kaschau (Kosice), by purchase; Jacques Seligmann, Paris (No. 101 in French Sale); Henry Walters, 1923, by purchase; Sadie Jones (Mrs Henry Walters), 1931, by inheritance; Sale, Parke-Bernet, New York, May 1, 1941, no. 1289; Walters Art Museum, 1941, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 1984-1987 | Objects of Adornment: Five Thousand Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. |
| 1987 | Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery and the Zucker Family Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1979-1980 | Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 6/1/1983 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 6/17/1983 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 11/23/1987 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 2/17/1988 | Treatment | examined for exhibition; mounted |
| 4/26/2001 | Treatment | repaired |
| 4/1/2005 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 4/28/2005 | Treatment | cleaned |
Geographies
Germany, Augsburg (Place of Origin)
Measurements
L: 18 in. (45.7 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase [formerly part of the Walters Collection], 1941
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
44.586