The Phoenix Necklace

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The Phoenix Necklace

Designer Edward Spencer (British, 1872-1938)

Manufacturer Artificers' Guild, London

Place of OriginEngland

Dateabout 1904

Dimensionspendant, H: 3 7/8 in. (10 cm);
chain, L: 16 in. (40.6 cm)

Mediumgold, diamonds, and opals

ClassificationJewelry

Credit LinePurchased with funds given by Helen W. Korman and Barbara Goldberg and with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Druummond Libbey

Object number

2004.66

On View

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

Label TextUntil recently, this necklace was only known from a drawing by English Arts and Crafts designer Edward Spencer. The necklace not only displays the exquisite craftsmanship typical of the Arts and Crafts style, but also a design rich in complex symbolism. The circle formed by the chain symbolizes order and spirituality, while the pendant represents earthly desires. Above the Tree of Knowledge, Jormungund, the World Serpent of Norse mythology, binds heaven and earth together. The five diamonds in its crown represent the five senses. At the foot of the tree, the Phoenix rises, reborn, from its fiery nest, escaping earthly life. The butterflies on the chain represent the transition to spiritual life.Published ReferencesSotheby's London, Fine Decorative Arts & Design from 1870, October 5, 2004, lot 28.

"Studio Talk," The Studio, vol. 32, pp. 344-345 (illustrating lost design drawing, signed "E.S.")

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 289, repr. (col.).

Comparative ReferencesSee also (For another necklace in gold and silver, 'The Ariadne,' designed by Spencer and John Bonner, also executed by the Artificer's Guild), see: Charlotte Gere and Geoffrey C. Munn, Artists' Jewellery - Pre-Raphaelite to Arts and Crafts, Woodbridge, 1989, pp. 18-19.