A hand-painted miniature of a kookaburra sits beneath a glass lens in this Victorian gold locket. Native to Australia, the kookaburra had become an emblem of the colony by the late nineteenth century, making it a distinctive subject for jewelry of the period. The inscription appears to read “N. Cayliy (?) pxt. 1885 W. Speen (?)”. The abbreviation “pxt.” is short for the Latin pinxit (“painted it”), a convention artists used to sign miniature paintings. What is the story here? I long to know. Originally created as a brooch, the pin was removed at some point in its history - we think it's more wearable on a gold chain.
From N. Cayliy (?) pxt/ o(?) 1885 W. Speen (?)
pxt is a Latin abbreviation of pinxit meaning he/she painted it
MATERIALS: 14k gold (tests), glass lenses, miniature painting on velum (?), new 14k gold chain
AGE: dated 1885
CONDITION: Very good - at some point in time the pin was removed to make this piece into a pendant; minor surface wear commensurate with age and use
SIZE: 1" length including the bale, 1/2" diameter, 18" chain