Catching the Bug: Archaeology, Entomology and Victorian Jewellery

Fri Oct 04 2024 at 01:00 pm to 02:00 pm UTC+01:00

Paul Mellon Centre | London

Paul Mellon Centre
Publisher/HostPaul Mellon Centre
Catching the Bug: Archaeology, Entomology and Victorian Jewellery
Advertisement
This event is part of the The Paul Mellon Centre’s Autumn Research Lunch series 2024.
About this Event

Insects, and in particular beetles, were a recurring trend in jewellery in the second half of the nineteenth century. Taking its cue from wider European fashions, where imitations of insects and the setting of actual insects into jewellery proved popular, the trend is often discussed in the context of the Victorian obsession with natural history, reaching its height in the 1870s and 1880s. Incorporating shimmering imitations, and even actual insect carapaces, these objects suggest an appreciation of liveliness that survives even after the insect’s transformation into ornament. The Granville Parure, now at the British Museum, is a spectacular if macabre survival of this trend, made up of the bodies of forty-six iridescent green South American weevils gifted to Foreign Secretary George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, to mark the Anglo-Portuguese trade treaty. Granville had the beetles set into a gold tiara, necklace and earrings in the Egyptian style by jewellery firm Phillips Brothers, going back to an earlier appearance of the beetle motif in British jewellery in the 1850s and 1860s, when antique scarabs taken from both Egyptian and Etruscan archaeological sites featured prominently in jewellery made in the archaeological revival style. There, the carved scarab suggested not just the liveliness of the insect it represented, but also the survival of an ancient historical past for the nineteenth-century present. Considering analogous relations between both types of jewellery and the production and dissemination of scientific and historical knowledge, as well as their respective links to empire and British colonial power, this talk explores how beetles – both historical and natural – caught the British imagination.


Speaker bio: Lieske Huits is an historian of nineteenth-century decorative arts and architecture. After undertaking a BA in art history at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and a research MA at Leiden University, she completed her collaborative PhD in art history at the University of Cambridge and the Victoria and Albert Museum, where she examined debates surrounding style and the phenomenon of historicism in British decorative arts and architecture. She holds the position as University Lecturer of Design and Material Culture at the Center for Arts in Society at Leiden University, where she teaches on undergraduate and graduate programmes for art history and museology. Her research interests include: style and historicism in the decorative arts; the relationship between design and applied arts and the development of scientific and historic knowledge in the long nineteenth century; the role of the periodical press in public discourse surrounding the British design reform movement; and the history of museums and international exhibitions.


Image credit: Phillips Brothers, Lady Granville's Beetle Parure, 1884-1885, die-stamped gold, weevil tissue, 21 x 29.50 cm. © The Trustees of the British Museum (2016,8037.1.a-e).


Code of Conduct

This code is designed to create a positive and welcoming environment at the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. It applies to all events, meetings and visits, in-person and online. It also extends to the social medial and digital platforms we use for events and communication.

These are our guiding principles:

  • We welcome debate and discussion, but this should always be considerate of others.
  • Discriminatory or unlawful behaviour, harassment and defamatory comments will not be tolerated.
  • We appreciate courtesy to our staff and other attendees – we value kindness, politeness and respect, and want to create spaces where people feel comfortable.
  • We take reports of abuse very seriously.

Onsite: Individuals whose behaviour breaches this code will be asked to leave the building. The events manager or appointed host for the event or visit will take responsibility for making this decision.

Online: Abusive content posted online will be reported and removed.

Breaches of this code may result in the individual being blocked or barred from attending the Centre or participating in its activities, on site or online, in the future.

Any behaviour that breaches this code should be reported to a member of staff at an event or can be emailed to [email protected]

Our Code of Conduct is supported by the Centre’s Public Complaints Policy and Procedure.

Advertisement

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Paul Mellon Centre, 16 Bedford Square, London, United Kingdom

Tickets

GBP 0.00

Sharing is Caring:

More Events in London

Make Your Own Food Replica: Matcha Parfait
Fri Oct 04 2024 at 11:30 am Make Your Own Food Replica: Matcha Parfait

101-111 Kensington High Street, W8 5SA London, United Kingdom

Dig Deep for Perennial Fundraising Lunch
Fri Oct 04 2024 at 12:00 pm Dig Deep for Perennial Fundraising Lunch

The Cumberland Hotel Marble Arch

Radical Herbal Histories and Futures: a 3 week participatory programme
Fri Oct 04 2024 at 12:00 pm Radical Herbal Histories and Futures: a 3 week participatory programme

38 High Street,London,E17 7LD,GB

Drink Japan
Fri Oct 04 2024 at 12:00 pm Drink Japan

St Mary's Church, Marylebone

St Mary's Festival: Guided tour with Clerkenwell and Islington Guides
Fri Oct 04 2024 at 12:00 pm St Mary's Festival: Guided tour with Clerkenwell and Islington Guides

St Mary's Church

Secret Dome Tours
Fri Oct 04 2024 at 12:30 pm Secret Dome Tours

King William Walk, Greenwich, SE10 9NN London, United Kingdom

FREE! Wellbeing Walk Islington
Fri Oct 04 2024 at 01:30 pm FREE! Wellbeing Walk Islington

Newington Green

Sixth-Form Event on Populism and the Elections of 2024 in Britain & Europe
Fri Oct 04 2024 at 02:00 pm Sixth-Form Event on Populism and the Elections of 2024 in Britain & Europe

Europe House, European Parliament Liaison Office in the UK

St Mary's Festival: Guided tour with Clerkenwell and Islington Guides
Fri Oct 04 2024 at 02:00 pm St Mary's Festival: Guided tour with Clerkenwell and Islington Guides

St Mary's Church

City: Tower Hill
Fri Oct 04 2024 at 02:00 pm City: Tower Hill

Outside CitizenM hotel by Tower Hill Underground station. Turn right on leaving Tower Hill underground station. Meet your Guide roughly opposite the Tower Hill Tram kiosk.

London is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore London Events