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Masonic Past Master's Jewel for St. Andrews Lodge Issued to Henry Fowle
1825
Maker not marked
USA: Massachusetts, Boston
Silver
overall: 4 3/8 in x 4 3/8 in x 3/16 in
Loaned by the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts
GL2004.5241

Silver Masonic Past Master's jewel with a loop at top center. Round with a scrollwork border. In the center is a rule and compasses. A cartouche is placed in the middle of the symbol. It is engraved to read, "Presented by / St. Andrews Lodge / to / R.W. Henry Fowle / their Past Master. / Boston May 19, 5825."


St. Andrew’s Lodge presented Henry Fowle (1766-1837)—an active Mason in Boston in the early 1800s—this Past Master's jewel in 1825. Fowle served as Master of the lodge in 1793, from 1810 to 1817 and again from 1818 to 1820. In the 1820s some Boston lodges occasionally issued a distinctive style of Past Master jewel. This design featured the symbols of a compasses and quadrant at the center and was made as a plaque. Leafy curves in relief decorate the edges of the plaque. The plaque was cast, then its surface was textured with different tools. An engraver noted the recipient’s name and other information on cartouche at the center of the jewel. The contrast between the polished, shiny surface at the center and the darker, mostly matte background and borders of the plaque add to this style of jewel’s visual appeal. For further information, see blog post, May 17, 2019, https://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/2019/05/a-distinctive-style-of-past-masters-jewel.html



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