A Renaissance Colombian Emerald-Set Gold Jewel Recovered from the Shipwrecked Spanish Galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, Early 17th Century
PROVENANCE: Lost in the shipwreck of Nuestra Señora de Atocha, Florida Keys, 1622
Rediscovered by Mel Fischer, 1986
Mel Fisher's Treasures, L.L.C., 1986
NOTE DE CATALOGUE: The
magnificent emerald jewel of the lost Atocha showcases the largest
faceted stone in the group of emerald-setjewels recovered from the
shipwreck of the famous Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha. Set
with a single rectangular step cut emerald measuring approximately 11.00
carats, the gold setting, cast and vigorously chased with strapwork and
studded with rosettes, reveals the remarkable skills of the New World
goldsmiths. The bezel setting, meticulously burnished, secures the stone
at the girdle with gold extending up and into the crown of the gem,
sealing it firmly in its setting. Although seawater seems to have seeped
in behind the stone, it has remained secure for centuries.
This
impressive emerald exhibits characteristics similar to those mined in
the Chivor region of Colombia high up in the Andes. Emerald deposits
were discovered there by conquistadors in 1537 and mined by the
indigenous people, who were enslaved by the Spanish explorers. Until the
discovery of the Chivor deposits, the only emerald mines known to the
Western world were those in Egypt, in use since the late 4th century
B.C. and largely exhausted by the 16th century.
Spanish
jewelry design of the 16th century fell under the influence of the
Counter-Reformation movement which had sweeping, largely reactionary,
social and cultural effects in heavily Catholic Spain. Personal
ornamentation of a religious nature was viewed as an outward reflection
of inner devotion, and thus permissible even in that austere climate.
Jewelers also designed secular pieces like the present lot to display
some of the largest and finest gems, which were suddenly available in
large supply from the New World mines.
The
remarkable availability of fine emeralds from mines under Spain’s
control afforded their extensive use in jewelry during the Renaissance.
Portraits of the Spanish royal family and the nobility show the sitters
bejeweled, and often with gem-set gold appliques sewn directly onto
their garments. The present jewel may well have been used for
this purpose, indicated by the two eyes on the reverse of the gold
setting, as seen in the image above. A portrait of the Infanta Isabella
Clara Eugenia by Alonso Sanchez Coello painted in 1578 and now in the
Museo del Prado (fig. 1) illustrates this custom of applying luxurious
jewels to rich fabrics.
With
Spain's power at its height under King Philip III and its territory
increasing under his successor Philip IV, passengers and crews sailed
with greater frequency over the Atlantic, hungry for the treasures of
the New World. The Atocha and the Santa Margarita were new additions to
the Tierra Firma armada of 28 ships which sailed annually between Spain
and the West Indies, carrying European manufactured goods, wine, lumber,
iron, cloth and mercury, which they would trade in the Caribbean ports
for bullion, animal hides, cocoa, indigo, cochineal, and tobacco.
The Atocha was commissioned by the Casa de Contractación,
a Spanish government agency which attempted to regulate Spanish
exploration and colonization efforts, and was named for Our Lady of
Atocha, whose shrine in Madrid was regularly visited by Spanish kings.
The ship was constructed in Cuba and, after ill-fated attempts to depart
the shipyard which necessitated repairs, she finally crossed the
Atlantic and arrived in Spain late in 1620. The Atocha sustained leaks
in her bow and once they were repaired, she joined the Tierra Firma
fleet and departed Spain for the West Indies on March 23, 1622. In
Cartagena, Colombia and Portobelo, Panama, the galleon was loaded with
the belongings of the noble families and other passengers making the
return journey to Spain with the armada. There was also bullion, tobacco
and emeralds, both uncut stones and gems set in gold jewelry such as
the present example, many not included on the ship’s manifest to avoid
the Spanish quinto tax.
These
armadas were under the constant threat of English and Dutch fleets as
well as pirates. Spanish galleons including the Atocha were armed to
defend themselves and the treasure that they carried, but only good
timing and an element of luck would protect them against the fierce
hurricanes that ravaged the Atlantic. The fleet set sail for Spain with
goods and passengers on September 4, 1622 in the midst of hurricane
season. Both the Atocha and the Santa Margarita only sailed as far as
the Florida Keys before they hit a squall and sank along the reefs.
Divers attempted to recover the cargo with some success for that of the
Santa Margarita, but found few remains of the Atocha before the wreckage
of the ships and their contents were swept out to sea where they would
lay unrecovered for centuries. In the 1960s Mel Fisher, a diver with an
interest in salvaging shipwrecks, began exploring the waters off of
Florida searching for Spanish ships lost in the area. By the end of the
decade he and his crew set their sights on recovering the Santa
Margarita, with which they had quick success, and the more elusive
Atocha.
It was
not until 1985 that Fisher's team uncovered the main hull of the Atocha
and its hidden treasure, including silverand gold objects, bullion,
scientific instruments, and hundreds of rough cut emeralds and gem-set
gold jewelry. Of the items recovered from the shipwrecked galleon, this
stunning jewel is one of the most important. The size and quality of the
stone combined with the masterful goldsmith's work are evidence that
this jewel was made for a person of noble standing in Spanish society.
RELATED LITERATURE: Priscilla E. Muller, Jewels in Spain, 1500-1800, New York, 1972, pp. 27-38
Accompanied by AGL report no. CS 52234 stating that the emerald is of Colombian origin, with no indications of clarity enhancement.
➜ Sotheby's Masterworks. New York | February 01, 2013
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