Pendant Bound Love Early 19th century

Pendant: Bound Love
Early 19th century

Gold and ivory
Height of pendant only: 3 cm
Height with bail and ring: 3.8 cm

This oval-shaped pendant is set in a gold frame and contains, under glass, a finely carved micro-sculpture in ivory, worked in bas-relief. The piece represents an allegorical figure of Love, depicted as a young winged child, associated with Cupid. The child is shown in chains, leaning on a scythe, a symbol of passing time and fate. This imagery may suggest that the wearer’s heart was bound by a love commitment.

This type of jewelry was highly prized during the Romantic era, a time when sculpted miniatures and bas-relief cameos were particularly in vogue.