Salamander Brooch from London, c.1600-1650 CE: this 400-year-old brooch is made of emerald, diamond, gold, and enamel
This stunning brooch is part of the Cheapside Hoard, which is a collection of jewelry, carved gemstones, and other finely-crafted artifacts that were buried beneath a building in London during the mid-17th century.
Above: the salamander brooch
This article explains:
Buried around 1640, this hidden treasure lay undisturbed for almost 300 years below Cheapside, one of London's busiest streets.
The hoard was discovered by chance as workmen demolished a timber-framed building in Cheapside, near St Paul's Cathedral in central London in June 1912. The building had stood on the site since the 17th century, but the cellars underneath were older. While the workmen were breaking up the cellar floor, they noticed something glinting in the soil below. They soon realised that they’d found a tangled heap of jewellery, gems and other precious objects.
Above: amethyst and emerald grapevine pendants from the Cheapside Hoard, c.1600-1650 CE
There are around 500 items in the hoard, including an exquisite gold watch set in a massive emerald, pendants of ripe amethyst grapes, and a salamander brooch, formed from gold, enamel and diamonds.
Very little jewellery from the 16th and 17th century survives, making the hoard the most important collection of its kind in the world.
Above: gold-inlaid pocket watch crafted from a single piece of emerald, c.1610 CE
No one knows who buried the Cheapside Hoard, why it was buried, or why it was then abandoned. The turmoil of the mid-1600s may offer some clues, according to this article:
Certainly it was a calamitous time in England. The outbreak of civil war in 1642 ultimately resulted in an overthrow of the monarchy and the execution of King Charles I in 1649. Unrest and political upheaval may have caused the hoard’s owner to hide his prized possessions, as many jewelers took up arms to fight. More uncertainty followed, including the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 and the return from exile of Charles II, son of the former king.
Over the centuries, the bubonic plague had swept through Europe and Britain in waves, culminating in 1665–1666 with the Great Plague of London, which killed about 15% of the population. Those who had the means fled the city to avoid the deadly epidemic.
Above: emerald parrot, c.1550-1650 CE
In 1666, a fire that started in a bakery spread quickly through the city. In less than three days it consumed more than 13,000 buildings, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, about a block away from the hoard. The Great Fire of London, as it came to be known, destroyed most of the city’s wooden structures, including those above the site of the treasure. Evidence of fire damage found during the Cheapside excavations led experts to conclude that the jewels were buried no later than 1666. It is unlikely that the owner of the hoard perished in the fire, as very few casualties were actually recorded.
Following the Great Fire of London and the rebuilding of the city, new structures were erected in the Cheapside district around 1670. This time, brick and mortar structures rose above the forgotten cellars, sealing the Cheapside Hoard for two and a half centuries.
Above: a gold earring or pendant decorated with three pink sapphires and seven emeralds is depicted on the left, while a fan handle studded with amethysts and sapphires is depicted on the right, c.1600 CE
Sources & More Info:
London Museum: Salamander Brooch
London Museum: The Cheapside Hoard
Gemological Institute of America: The Museum of London's Extraordinary Cheapside Hoard
The Telegraph: Mystery of the Cheapside Hoard
