L'oreficeria siciliana del Seicento: opere, collezionismo e contesti

Abstract

This essay explores the history, collecting practices, and cultural contexts of Sicilian jewelry between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, highlighting the richness and diversity of Sicilian goldsmith production in the Early Modern period. Through documentary sources, inventories, museum collections, and private holdings, the study reconstructs the artistic, social, and devotional significance of jewels as symbols of status, identity, and faith. Particular attention is devoted to the strong connections between Sicily and Spain, whose artistic exchanges shaped the stylistic language of Sicilian jewelry, especially during the Baroque age. The essay also emphasizes the crucial role played by religious treasuries, aristocratic patronage, and private collectors in preserving these precious artifacts, many of which survive today thanks to devotional donations and collecting practices. By examining necklaces, pendants, chains, devotional ornaments, and enamel works, the contribution outlines the evolution of Sicilian jewelry as both artistic expression and material testimony of Mediterranean cultural interactions.