Jewelry in Portraits of The Frick Collection

Explores some of the precious objects shown in Frick portraits across the early modern periodThe Frick Collection is renowned for its exquisite paintings, in particular its portraits by European Old Masters. Beyond their captivating sitters, many of these depict a myriad of jewels and other precious items, from diamond necklaces, brooches, and earrings to gold watches, rings, and pearl-studded crowns. While the history of the commissioning, collecting, and significance of these paintings has produced a plethora of valuable scholarship, the jewellery they represent has drawn little to no attention in the literature.Focusing on a select number of masterpieces across the early modern period, from Jan Van Eyck, William Hogarth, to Jacques-Louis David, this book seeks to shine a light on some of the precious objects shown in Frick portraits. New research drawing from archival sources and recent study allows the legacies of these objects to emerge, together with the lives of the people attached to them.