Portolan
The Sunderland Collection x GRIMA
The Sunderland Collection and renowned fine jeweller GRIMA are delighted to present their third collaboration, Portolan, inspired by two exquisite seventeenth century portolan charts in the Collection.
Connecting the cultural heritage of a world-class rare map collection and an internationally renowned jewellery house, Portolan reflects a shared commitment to artistry, craftsmanship, and the enduring value of handmade objects.
THE INSPIRATION
Portolan charts date back to the fourteenth Century CE. They are nautical maps hand-drawn onto vellum (lamb or goat skin). Portolans were usually stored rolled up, and then unfurled onto a table top. They can therefore be approached from multiple vintage points, and are wonderfully tactile objects. Luxurious versions that never saw the deck of a ship were created for wealthy patrons using rich pigments and gold paint.
Detail of Oliva’s Doppia Portolan (1617) © The Sunderland Collection
Placido Caloira e Oliva's ‘Doppia’ or Double Portolan of the Mediterranean Sea is a luxurious manuscript sea chart hand-made on vellum using rich colour pigments and heightened in gold. The coastlines are laden with the names of important ports and rhumb lines criss-cross the bodies, radiating out from the centre of compasses to aid orientation.
Placido Caloira e Oliva (fl.1617–1657) was a leading member of the Oliva family, a cartographic dynasty who dominated portolan chart production in Europe during the sixteenth and early-seventeenth centuries.
Presenting the medieval and the modern in parallel, this opulent illuminated manuscript style is an informed artistic decision. Made in homage to earlier decadent works and including the latest geographical ‘discoveries’ but would not have served as a functional navigational device for use at sea!
The Portolan Brooch made from 18ct gold and diamonds. Edition of six.
Detail of Oliva’s Portolan of the Mediterranean (1640) © The Sunderland Collection
A key characteristic of portolan charts is the criss-crossing lines on the seas. Known as rhumb lines, their exact origin and purpose remains unclear - although they appear to show navigational routes. These lines were adopted into later, printed nautical maps and remained a recurring motif for hundreds of years.
LIMITED EDITIONS
Each piece in this collection is individually hand-made by GRIMA artisans in London. In a stunning brooch and earrings made from 18 carat yellow gold, elegant angles hark back to the rhumb lines on a portolan chart, and delicate diamonds evoke the twinkling night stars used by sailors to navigate.
The Portolan brooch and earrings made from 18ct gold and diamonds. Editions of six.
The other earrings and rings in Portolan use lapis lazuli (popular in luxury map-making, and one of the most precious pigments in the world), 18 carat yellow gold, and malachite to echo the hand-ground pigments used by Oliva and his studio. These sculptural pieces reference the natural materials on portolans, and the interplay of rich pigments against gold.
The Portolan rings made from malachite and lapis lazuli with 18ct gold. Editions of six.
The Portolan earrings made from lapis lazuli with 18ct gold. Editions of six.
POA. To order, please contact arts@sunderland-collection.com.
View all the items from The Sunderland Collection x GRIMA in our shop.
All Photography by Bethany Crutchfield © The Sunderland Collection and GRIMA
A view from the jeweller’s workbench in the GRIMA studio © GRIMA
ABOUT GRIMA
Andrew Grima’s iconic designs changed the way people perceived jewellery not just in Britain, but around the globe. Entirely self-taught, Andrew joined his father-in-law’s jewellery manufacturing business in 1946 and went on to become the only jeweller to be awarded the Duke of Edinburgh's Prize for Elegant Design.
He won with The Queen’s Award to Industry in its inaugural year, and the De Beers Diamonds International Award a record 11 times. Grima's work is held in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
Since Andrew’s death in 2007, his wife Jojo and daughter Francesca have continued to create a limited collection of original, handmade pieces each year.
Find out more at grimajewellery.com
THE COLLABORATION
We are delighted to collaborate with The Sunderland Collection on our third collection together. For Portolan, we were inspired by historic portolan maps and the rhumb lines that cross their surfaces. We wanted to reinterpret these graphic lines and patterns in a sculptural and wearable way, while ensuring the pieces remained very much rooted in the Grima aesthetic - bold, architectural and contemporary, yet connected to the artistry of these extraordinary maps.
-Francesca Grima
The Portolan collection is a stunning homage to one of the most striking types of nautical map. Like the charts themselves, these pieces are intimate, tactile, and a striking interplay of natural materials. They are also highly wearable and practical. Particularly in this age of AI, we at The Sunderland Collection treasure artisans like GRIMA, who create thoughtful designs and produce each piece individually by hand, using heritage techniques with a fresh, contemporary aesthetic.
-Helen Sunderland-Cohen
