Review The Glittering Canvas: Jewellery in Portraits 1750–1850

by Claus Olesen, founder member of Arts Society Gibraltar

An illustrated talk for The Arts Society Gibraltar by Claire Phillips, Curator at the V&A, London.

Despite a very wet evening, the illustrated talk by The Arts Society Gibraltar was exceptionally well attended, a testament to the appeal of Claire’s subject and her engaging delivery. The Glittering Canvas: Jewellery in Portraits 1750–1850 explored how jewellery depicted in portraits offers a rich visual record of wealth, sentiment, fashion and social history during a transformative period in Europe.

Claire began by reminding us that portraits were often commissioned for royal or personal legacy, particularly as many original jewels were later melted down or altered. As a result, portraits sometimes provide the only surviving evidence of extraordinary pieces. Jewellery, like architecture, reflected the dominant styles of the age, from Rococo exuberance to Neo-Classical restraint.

Highlights included Queen Charlotte’s magnificent diamond stomacher of 1761—valued at £61,000 at the time—now lost, though some stones were later reused in royal crowns. We also saw portraits of Maria Luisa of Parma, first as a 14-year-old bride adorned with Brazilian diamonds, and later as a matriarch wearing elaborate hair ornaments alongside her daughters. Russian jewellery featured prominently, including bouquet brooches enhanced by coloured foil, some of which survived revolution and are now held in international collections, including the V&A.

Claire illustrated how silver settings enhanced the brilliance of diamonds, how imitation jewellery made from glass and foil widened access to fashion, and how men, too, displayed status through shoe buckles and buttons. Sentimental jewellery—mourning rings, lockets spelling “regard,” and tokens of love—was especially evocative, culminating in Queen Victoria’s orange blossom jewel from Prince Albert.

The lecture beautifully demonstrated the exceptional craftsmanship of the period and how portraits preserve these glittering symbols of personal taste, power and affection long after the jewels themselves have vanished.