Fede Hands As A Symbol In Antique Jewelry
I’m a huge history nerd. I love all things old. Especially jewelry! I don’t have a huge antique jewelry collection myself but I love to go to museums, read books about the subject and search through museum and auction archives. For years I have been fascinated with fede hands in jewelry, and I thought that I would share my knowledge with you.
If you’re already a connoisseur of antique jewelry, you've likely come across jewelry depicting two hands coming to clasp together. This kind of depiction is known as fede hands, and carries a rich and interesting history. The clasped hands are most commonly seen on rings but also in other types of jewelry like chains, earrings and brooches. The fede rings are reportedly the earliest examples of the modern-day wedding ring.
This is one of my favorite examples on a fede ring. It dates to the 14th century and is displayed on the British Museum. Photograph belongs © The Trustees of the British Museum.
What did fede hands symbolize?
Hands can serve as obvious symbols. Shaking hands or clasping hands can indicate friendship, agreement, or connection, while holding hands can symbolize affection, love, or marriage.
The use of hands to evoke meanings or emotions like this dates back to ancient Rome, where fede rings were used as wedding rings to symbolize faith and love and to serve as a contract between two lovers. This Roman practice was known as 'dextrarum iunctio'. In Italian, the term "fede" means loyalty, faith, and trust.
This is an example on an early Roman ring from the 2nd-4th century, sold on St. James Ancient Art. Photograph belongs to St. Jamens Ancient Art.
However, hands in jewelry and ornamentation weren't just seen in ancient Rome. A similar style can be traced to Ireland and the Celtic tradition, known as the Claddagh ring, a ring with a crowned heart held between two hands. Depending on the owner's relationship status, the crown would either be pointing toward or away from them. This would signify if they were married, engaged, or single.
Another ring type with clasping hands is the gimmel ring. Gimmel derives from latin and means “twin”. A gimmel ring has two (or more) interlocking, twisted rings with clasped hands that form the bezel. Within the lower hand is a heart, and when the two rings are joined, the upper hand clasps this heart. You can see this as two people becoming one, one heart.
The ring below in example of an open 16th-17th century gimmel ring from the British Museum. Photo belongs to © The Trustees of the British Museum.
Victorians were obsessed with hand
While there is a long history of using fede hands across cultures though history, it wasn't until the 18th and especially the 19th century – due in part to the Victorians BIG interest in hands – that this motif really took off. In Victorian jewelry disembodied hands are depicted in many different poses and type of jewelry.
Especially in second half of the 1800s there was a focus on the visually appealing body. There are several examples of the great attention paid to especially the beauty and delicacy of hands. Author Nicholas Andry was the first to write about what makes an attractive hand. He focused on delicate and smooth hands, not “square or thick”. The nobility of the time considered the quality of one's hands to indicate socioeconomic status – the more smooth a hand, the more likely its owner was nobility and not someone who relied on manual labor to earn a living.
Painters and artists from that time focused intensely on how to depict hands accurately. Queen Victoria – an avid artist – often sketched hands (I’m obsessed with the beautiful sketch above, done by Victoria in 1833. From the Royal Collection Trust archives). Actually Queen Victory loved hands so much that she even commissioned a painting of Prince Albert clasping her hand.
The attention to detail and graceful image of the pair's hands was typical of many depictions during the era. This focus on hands led to an entire industry focused on beautifying hands. Many products were advertised to make hands and nails more visually appealing. Naturally this preoccupation with hands was reflected in the fashion and jewelry of the time where the hand became a popular theme.
Clasped hands as a symbol in the Victorian era
Although the Victorians were obsessed with looks, jewelry in this era went beyond pure ornamentation since the Victorian also loved symbolism. Often, the pieces aimed to evoke meaning, and hands became central to conveying meaning for the wearer. A hand clutching a flower symbolized friendship, earrings featuring hands pointing in one direction were a sign of protection, and – most commonly – hands clasped together became synonymous with betrothal and a symbol of fidelity and unity. Rings were common, but really all types of jewelry with hands were popular.
The fede hand's trend led many to commission artists to carve hands into precious stones for bracelets, cuffs, and brooches or even use the symbol of clasped hands to connect chains or other necklaces.
And it wasn’t only in jewelry that the hands were a popular motif. Also in houseware you could find hands in all variations. Glass and tableware, decorative ornaments, and many other household items often featured hands in motion or clutching an object. History shows cups, carafes, cake-holders, vases, and other tableware featuring disembodied hands. These hands were typically depicted with delicate and graceful features, looking alluring and feminine. Often, it was made clear these were women's hands with jewels around the wrist or clutching flowers or seashells.
While these items were often common in the home of wealthy families, other things depicted hands in a more egalitarian manner. Hands were also used to convey messages about social justice. For example, a "beggar's hand" toothpick holder or a sugar tray that featured a fist clasping a scroll, thought to be a pro-freedom, anti-slavery message. Hand sculptures used as trays were also quite common in Victorian-era homes. You can see examples on Victorian houseware and read more about them here.
Please tell me what you think about jewelry with fede hands? Do you own any - or would you like to? Tell me, tell me! Comment below!