A Georgian gold locket of considerable rarity — the blue glass
front conceals a hand painted miniature depicting an allegorical
figure of Peace: a lady seated on grass beneath a willow tree,
holding a tablet inscribed with the word PEACE.
This is not a portrait but a deliberate allegorical composition
in the classical tradition — Peace personified, almost certainly
commissioned as a mourning piece to mark the death of someone
specific. The willow tree reinforces this reading: in Georgian
symbolism the weeping willow spoke of mourning, remembrance and
melancholy longing for the departed. The tablet inscribed PEACE
offers the consolation — the hope that whoever was lost had found
rest.
Miniature painting of this quality was one of the most prized art
forms of the Georgian period, produced by specialist artists and
commissioned by those of means as intimate personal objects carried
close to the body. The blue glass ground, the hand painted detail,
the allegorical subject — this is a piece made with deep personal
intention, the precise meaning of which has been carried quietly
for nearly 250 years.
The reverse has a hinged panel where a keepsake can be stored.
Very good condition for its age. The blue glass is present and
intact with no damage.
