Design for Six Brooches
1739
Classification
jewelry
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-7410
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Girolamo Venturi’s “Design for Six Brooches,” created in 1739, captures the delicate planning behind wearable art of the period. As a preparatory work rather than finished pieces, it reveals how jewelers once sketched multiple variations to explore form, proportion, and ornament before crafting in metal and stone. The sheet’s presence in the Smithsonian American Art Museum underscores the enduring appeal of such designs as both functional records and small works of art in their own right. Though the exact medium remains under study, the drawing’s classification as jewelry highlights its role ...