Lot 330
330
Property of AMBASSADOR AND MRS. MIGUEL ALBORNAZ
A SPANISH COLONIAL GOLD AND EMERALD CROSS

18TH CENTURY, PROBABLY COLOMBIA (NEW GRANADA)

Details
A SPANISH COLONIAL GOLD AND EMERALD CROSS
18TH CENTURY, PROBABLY COLOMBIA (NEW GRANADA)
The filigree cross formed of five emeralds, four table cut and one cabochon; together with a later openwork linked chain set with three diamonds and two smaller emeralds, apparently unmarked
length encluding chain 13in. (33cm.)
Provenance
Descended in the family of Mrs Albornaz from Quito, Ecuador

Lot Essay

Although filigree work was a specialty of towns on the Peruvian coast, the distinctive color and inclusions of these emeralds are typical of Colombian mines especially that located at Muzo, and it seems most likely that the mount is the product of a workshop in Santa Fe de Bogotá, Tunja or Popay.