Brooch

Description

Brooch made from native gold sourced in Sutherland, set with a central cairngorm stone and surrounded by four Scottish freshwater pearls, by Glasgow jewellers Muirhead & Son, c. 1868-1873

Museum reference

X.2018.17

Object name

Brooch

Production information

Muirhead and Son
Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Northern Europe

Date

c. 1868 - 1873

Materials

Scottish gold, Cairngorm, Scottish freshwater pearl

Physical description

Brooch made from native Scottish gold, Scottish freshwater pearls and a central citrine or ‘cairngorm’ associated with the Cairngorm mountains. The shield-shaped outline is decorated with graduated bead work across the surmount and shoulders, the flat surfaces display finely engraved foliate scrolls which flank four collet set Scottish freshwater pearls around the large faceted oval cairngorm. The reverse is mounted with a hinged steel pin and an additional hoop to enable it to be worn as a pendant. The reverse is engraved ‘MUIRHEAD & SONS / SUTHERLAND GOLD’.

Exhibitions

• Wild and Majestic Romantic Visions of Scotland (28 Jun 2019 - 10 Nov 2019)
  National Museum of Scotland

References

Laurenson, S. 'Materials, Making and Meaning: the Jewellery Craft in Scotland, c. 1780-1914', University of Edinburgh: Unpublished PhD thesis, 2017

Clark, Neil D. L., 'Scottish Gold: Fruit of the Nation', Glasgow: Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd in conjunction with the University of Glasgow, 2014