1507

Gold/pearl/emerald eagle pendant, rare.

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Jewelry & Watches Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:2,500.00 - 3,750.00 USD
Gold/pearl/emerald eagle pendant, rare.
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This item SOLD at 2009 Apr 09 @ 22:00UTC-4 : AST/EDT
All items are genuine unless noted. Most shipwreck coins and artifacts come with a certificate of authenticity (please check the description for each item).
Gold/pearl/emerald eagle pendant, rare. 4.3 grams, 1¼" x ½". This small but gorgeous jewel features an eagle with outspread wings and free-moving tail, studded with natural pearls and an emerald, in superb condition and still wearable, the gold bright and high grade, the pearls (one large and acting as the eagle's torso and the other two smaller and dangling from the tips of the wings) crudely shaped but very lustrous (good nacre), and the emeralds no more than brilliant-green chips on the eagle's perch. Though few pieces like this survive today, period paintings of wealthy Spaniards show avian pendants like this one (also a parrot with closed wings), which were popular gifts from the New World for royalty and nobility to wear (a similar eagle piece was found on the Atocha shipwreck of 1622). The designs of these elegant bird jewels was a challenge for goldsmiths, as most included moving parts and different materials like gemstones and pearls, as the intact piece on offer here demonstrates so well. Among the most significant Spanish colonial artifacts we have ever handled. Found in a Spanish colonial area in the southern Caribbean, ca. 1590.