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Ornamental Onyx Pendant

Johann Melchior Dinglinger German

Not on view


The court jeweler Johann Melchior Dinglinger acquired the slice of onyx at the center of this pendant in the 
1720s, when it was the largest known piece of the stone in the world. A type of agate, onyx was rare at the time and regarded as the "king of stones" by princely collectors. Until sources were found in the so-called New World, onyx was mined predominantly in Bohemia. This display piece appealed to the tastes of Augustus the Strong, who was a passionate collector of large and unusual gemstones for his Dresden collection.

Ornamental Onyx Pendant, Johann Melchior Dinglinger (German, 1664–1731), Onyx, silver (gilded), emeralds, diamonds, pearls, German, Dresden

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