Silver brooch with two long filigree openwork flower pendants, Marius Hammer, British Museum, London
Marius Hammer (1847-1927), third-generation hereditary jeweler, son of Lauritz Hammer (1812-1874), lived and worked in Bergen (Norway). Marius trained in the craft in Hamburg and Berlin before establishing his own workshop in Bergen in 1871. The workshop produced a wide range of tableware and cutlery, as well as jewelry. From around 1880, he specialized in modern versions of traditional Norwegian jewelry, as well as plique-à-jour stained-glass enamel silverware. If Russian ladles are shaped like boats, Marius Hammer’s ladles look like dracars, and filigree openwork decorations look like chain mail and Viking shields.
Marius retired in 1915, but the firm continued until 1930 under his sons Thorolf and Max. Marius Hammer’s work is housed in many renowned museums, including the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Silver bridal crown, Hammer, 1863, V&A Museum, London
This crown bears hallmarks indicating that it was made by Lauritz Hammer in Bergen in 1863. Lauritz Hammer specialized in making traditional jewelry, as did his father Soren and his son Marius.
The decorations of this crown are full of symbolic meanings. The crown itself resembles the crown of the Virgin and symbolizes purity or virginity. Lions facing each other are symbols of strength. Roosters are ancient symbols of fertility. Hanging leaves and round pendants are typical of all types of Scandinavian jewelry and are meant to ward off evil spirits.
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