Gold necklace set with the heads of
hummingbirds
London, England, AD
1865-70
In the original manufacturer's case of
Harry Emanuel of Bond Street
'Novelty' jewellery in the
nineteenth century referred to jewellery made to new designs,
materials or techniques. Such jewellery was shown to a wide public
in the International Exhibitions, which stimulated a growing demand
for ever more exotic material and design. Emanuel took out a patent
for the use of hummingbirds' heads in 1865, a method which
involved removing the feathers from the birds' heads, and
attaching them to gold mounts for use in jewellery. Here he has
used emerald green and scarlet hummingbirds. The scarlet heads are
placed upside down to show the colour on top of the head. Although
most pieces made with such natural material as birds'
feathers, insect bodies and wings were acquired only for show, they
remained extremely fragile, and few examples survive. However, they
are well documented in trade journals and catalogues of the
time.
The Hull Grundy Gift
contains a number of items in their original cases. Mrs Hull Grundy
recognized their significance as an extremely valuable tool in the
dating of jewellery: case-maker's impressed stamps can be
used together with the retailer's known addresses and dates
of trading to provide conclusive proof of the dates of production.
In this instance, the case-maker, Louis Autra, traded from 80
Wardour Street between 1852 and 1870. We have the patent date of
1865 for the use of the hummingbirds, so the piece can be dated
securely to the years 1865-70.
J. Rudoe, 'Humming-bird necklace by Harry Emanuel', British Museum Magazine: the-4, 19 (Autumn 1994), p. 25