Vijf juwelen waaronder één ring c. 1800 - 1810

Carl Friedrich Bärthel made this watercolor of five jewels, including a ring, in an unknown time. Consider what jewelry has historically represented: status, wealth, and identity. The jewels here, with their precious metals and stones, speak to the wearer’s social standing. But more than that, jewelry often carries deeply personal meanings. A ring might signify a promise, a necklace a treasured memory. How might these adornments shape the wearer's identity, or influence how they are perceived? The repetitive, almost clinical, rendering of each piece invites us to consider not just their beauty but the narratives they embody. What stories do these jewels tell of the wearer, their class, their gender, their place in society? How might the experience of wearing such items shift one's own sense of self?