Microcosm of Culture: Selected Topics in Jewellery up to the End of the Nineteenth Century

This course explores selected topics in the history of jewellery from the dawn of humanity to the end of the nineteenth century. It examines the changing roles and meanings of jewellery across different cultures and historical periods, while addressing broader questions concerning its social, cultural, economic, and symbolic significance. Each class focuses on a particular historical theme and introduces makers, objects, materials, and ideas that have shaped the field. Through these examples, students will gain insight into the development of jewellery as a practice, the discourse surrounding it, and its relationship to wider historical and cultural contexts.