Rowel Spur (Right)

This pierced and chiseled decoration is inspired from contemporary German examples, but the style, more floral, betrays a likely Spanish origin. In the first half of the 17th century, the fashion trend for gentlemen in Europe was to wear boots and spurs even in non-riding circumstances, including for dancing or walking around at court. Spurs became then more than equestrian tools, but pieces of male jewelry often enriched by the same goldsmiths also working on armor and weapons. Their decoration was sometimes intended to match the sword hilt and the general outfit and horse tack of their owner. These trendy accessories were also a significant mark of status for gentlemen, sometimes nonetheless copied by the bourgeoisie. This fashion progressively disappeared after the mid 17th century



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