Featured Find of the week/month

I had another amazing find this week.
Look what arrived today: a real treasure, a Flemish Heart.
I bought it for a really good price.
It has nice size rose cut diamonds and senailles, set in a closed setting with foil behind.
2 tiny senailles are missing, but all the rest of them are there.
As I already mentioned in a previous post about these: the silver is all hand cut out of a metal sheet and the settings of the diamonds are souldered onto that.
This one has a 'pijlbekroning': arrows on top, a love trophy.
The diamond in the middle represents Saint Mary with her 10 virtues around it (Mine misses a tiny senaille there so only 9 virtues)
These were usually a gift from children to their mothers around the 15th of August in the Antwerp region (St Mary ascension day?).
I m currently still working on deciphering the marks, the one I could already decipher is a French boars head (1838-now).
I would date this heart around 1850.
For comparison I can show you another Flemish Heart with arrows, that one is a bit simpler from construction.

 

Beautiful. Very interesting piece and history behind it! This is the kind of thing that would never show up where I live. Well, never say never... now I know what to look for. Thanks for sharing!

 

Congratulations, you lucky, lucky girl!

A little faux pas on Mary's part?

Yes, the 15th of August is Maria Hemelvaart, known in English as Assumption Day.

 

AJ: purity, wisdom, humility, faith, devotion, obedience, poverty, patience, mercy and compassion

I dislike most of them. Wisdom, parience, mery and compassion may stay. The rest of them can go

 

Understandable, and Mary clearly agreed on throwing out at least one of them.

 

I can only wish some of those would turn up here, but they weren't exported.

I did find an ivory Mary statue in an estate sale once. I told the ladies she was perfect for me; her halo was busted.

 

Evelyb30, thats so hilarious!
Yes, I chose wisely to be on the lookout for these as I m in the lucky position to be living in their country of origin.
I m sure there are treasures in your part of the world that weren't exported too.

 

Kudos for your find!!!

 

Ha! Same for me