Tiara

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Tiara

Place of OriginItaly or France

Dateabout 1817

DimensionsH: 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm); L: 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm); W: 3 in. (7.6 cm)

MediumGold and coral

ClassificationJewelry

Credit LinePurchased with funds Given by Rita Barbour Kern

Object number

1996.27

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 34, Jewelry Gallery

Label TextFrench Neoclassicism revived the fashion for wearing a tiara, a head ornament based on an ancient Greek diadem. Tiaras of varying degrees of intrinsic value were worn by every woman from the middle classes to royalty. Coral, which was believed to posses protective powers, was often used in jewelry for children and young adults. A portrait painted by Luigi Bernero in 1817 of Maria Teresa of Savoy (1803–1879) shows the 14-year-old Italian princess wearing a hair ornament exactly like this tiara. Most coral in Europe came from the sea around Naples and nearby Torre del Greco. In the 19th century coral became a fashionable souvenir. This was partly because people could travel more once the Napoleonic wars had ended in 1815, but also due to the growing popularity of naturalistic jewelry in the 1850s.Published ReferencesReich, Paula, Toledo Museum of Art: Map and Guide, London, Scala, 2009, p. 37, repr. (col.)