Jewellery and precious objects in the formation of Habsburg family relationships : Anne of Bohemia and Hungary (1503-1547) and her inventories
Abstract
Queen Anne of Bohemia and Hungary (1503-1547), wife of Ferdinand I of Austria, assembled a remarkable collection of jewellery and valuables. Its analysis is aided by the survival of four inventories, as well as household accounts.
Not only do these reveal the origins, development and structure of the collection during the queen's lifetime, but also its fate after her death. The complex distribution system involved Anne's children and other Habsburg family members as well as other European female rulers and noblewomen.
Some of the gems have been identified in the portraits of Queen Anne and her daughters. The present study seeks to shed light on the role of jewellery in establishing personal bonds within the Habsburg family and within the cultural and political networks that linked European elites during the Renaissance.