Rosette from cap of Prince Philip II (1573-1618)

The rosette belongs to thirteen jewels that decorated the cap ring of the Pomeranian Duke Francis I. Only two of the six rosettes originally decorated with pearls have had pearls preserved to our times. A spatial, three-level composition characterises the rosette. Its base is made of a slightly arched rhomboidal openwork with a Schweifwerk ornament, partly covered with multi-coloured enamel, dominated by red, white and blue, partly left in gold, and textured. The second level consists of four large pearls concentrated in the central part, separated by volutes with serrated ridges. At the top, a plaque-cut diamond was placed in a simple cachet set on a gold quadruple. Researchers associate the forms of the rosettes from Duke Francis's cap with the work of the Hamburg goldsmith, Jacob Mores the Elder, commissioned among others by the kings of Denmark, the Electors of Saxony and the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein. In the links of necklaces from Mores' pattern book ('Kleinodienbuch' from 1593-1602 from the collection of the Staats- und Universitätbibliothek Hamburg), similarities can be seen in the composition of rosettes, especially jewels with pearls. Also, analogies can be found to the specific motifs from which the rosettes were constructed, including a similar type of Schweifwerk ornament. However, given the prevalence of this type of ornamental design in Europe thanks to printed pattern books and the lack of specific designs, the question of attribution cannot be clearly prejudged.

Monika Frankowska-Makała