Ryk in Goud Gevat
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Bezoar stones brought to the Netherlands saw their own specific form of local transformation, which generally involved placing them in spherical open worked filigree mounts attached to short chains. As we can see in Figure 1, this construction provided a convenient way of displaying them while still allowing them to be used functionally. The construction of these holders also provides some clues and raises questions about the way jewelry was made during the 16th and 17th centuries in the Low Countries. The main metalworking technique used to make the holder is open-work filigree. Filigree is a very common jewelry making technique, since it requires less precious metal and can be done with basic goldsmithing tools. Examples of filigree work can be seen all over the world, including in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Netherlands also has a history of filigree jewelry making, which has continued to this day in the form of streeksieraden or traditional jewelry. Since filigree is so widespread, it can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint the origin of a filigree object. There are certain motifs or styles, however, that provide clues. In the case of our bezoar holder, the filigree style is reminiscent of filigree buttons, pomanders, and brooches made in the Netherlands during this period. This is supported by the other filigree bezoar holders (Figures 2 and 3), which are both thought by their curators to be Dutch-made as well. East-Indian filigree tended to either be close-worked, where the wires are soldered to a solid backing or were closer to the denser, swirling filigree common in Portugal and Portuguese controlled India.
Filigree is made by twisting pieces of wire tightly together and then flattening them slightly. The wire is then cut to size and bent into the desired shapes. For openwork filigree, plain framing wire units are soldered together (Figure 4) first. Filigree is then fitted into the frame, painted with a mixture of water, solder filings, and flux (such as borax powder) and heated until the solder melts.
To produce curved pieces like the hemispherical end caps on either end of the bezoar holders, the piece is soldered together flat and then placed over a depression on a swage block or over a round wooden stake and gently tapped into the desired shape. Soldering metal together is a strategic process, starting with the hardest solder and ending with the softest (otherwise you risk melting earlier joints). The thick loop on the one hemisphere and the large shot on the other both needed to be brazed on before the filigree, since the size differential between the thin wire and the thicker additions could cause the filigree to melt. But this leads to two problems – first, fitting the filigree in afterwards is awkward and messy, and second, the shot or ring sticking out at the end makes it very difficult to shape the hemisphere into an even rounded shape.
So how did these Golden Age Dutch goldsmiths do it? One of the hidden features of pomanders from this period was internal screw threads holding the two halves together (Figure 5). One half would have the top loop as its head and the other would have a shot or other decorative element as its head (this is visible in Figure 6). These would be threaded through an opening left in the middle of each hemisphere and then either soldered in place with a thin washer or held in place mechanically. This may have been how many of the bezoar holders were also constructed. Unfortunately, it was not possible to physically examine any of the bezoar holders to confirm this theory.