Past Master's Jewel, probably 1823

Past Master's Jewel, probably 1823

London silversmith Thomas Harper (ca. 1744-1832), a prolific and skilled craftsman, produced a variety of Masonic jewels in the late 1790s and first decades of the 1800s, including mark jewels, officer’s jewels, and presentation jewels, like this Past Master’s jewel made for a member of the Bascome family.

This style of jewel, a square with a depiction of the 47th Problem of Euclid suspended from it, was the inspiration for the design of Past Master’s jewels used in Pennsylvania.

For more on this object please visit the online collection record here.

Museum Purchase, 2017.018.2

Thomas Harper (ca. 1735-1832), London, England

Probably 1823