Jewellery as a Mirror of Virtues: Women and Prudence

Abstract

Nowadays, jewellery studies are becoming increasingly important. Jewellery not only served to show the power of its owner, but also contained information about the interests and personality of the wearer. Jewellery possessed numerous meanings and was used as an instrument of prestige by the elite. From an early date women began to wear jewellery to emphasise their qualities, and these small precious objects alluded the character of their owner. One of the motifs that began to gain significance on jewellery was the representation of a virtue: Prudence. Although the iconographic types of Prudence have varied over time, its presence on jewellery, pendants, or hat badges refer to the virtue of the wearer. Thus, thanks to the pieces that have survived until the present day, we can analyse the role they once played.