The Tradition of the Brooch
The first forms of the brooch already existed in the Bronze Age, but this special piece of jewelry was particularly popular among the ancient Greeks, Romans and in Byzantium. At that time, the brooch was mainly used to fasten clothes, but at the same time it also functioned as a piece of jewelry that often had a symbolic, lucky meaning.
In late antiquity, in addition to many artistically crafted brooches, there were also simpler examples that were part of Roman military equipment. The greatest influence on the further development of the brooch was the Byzantine culture, in which oriental influences influenced the design of the brooch - this is how numerous colorfully enameled, disc-shaped variants of the piece of jewelry came into being.
In early Christian times, the brooch was mainly designed with symbolic representations and inscriptions.
In the 14th century, the practice of holding clothes together with a brooch was replaced by new fastenings such as buttons. Since then, the brooch has mainly been worn as an ornament and to adorn the wearer.
During the reign of Louis XIV in the 17th century, the brooch was often decorated with small bouquets of flowers or bows before Mme de Sévigné introduced the diamond-set Sévigné brooch.
In the 18th century, it was fashionable to decorate brooches with miniature portraits and relief depictions (cameos) surrounded by diamonds and pearls.
A special form of brooch was the agraffe, which was characterized by its multiple fit.
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