Antique British fox hunting brooch with diamonds, around 1900

Reineke, fox, the cunning, shrewd, deft master of his trade, is accused at the beginning of Johann Wolfgang Goethe's poem of the same name by all the animals of the kingdom of committing only crime, theft, and fraud. Even the poor little dog Wackerlos, starving and poor and "nothing left him / Than a bit of sausage in a winter bush; Reineke did even take that from him!" In the course of the poem, nevertheless, by cunning and wit, the one so scolded always triumphs over his enemies, and is at last made Chancellor of the Empire. Goethe's poem was meant as a mockery of the courtly society of his time. It is probably no coincidence that fox and nobility are linked by many other ties - not least in the fox hunt! Many generations enjoyed the hunt for the fox and as a social occasion the hunt was the centre of the season in the countryside. No wonder that jewellery also came into being, which could not be missing on these occasions. The exquisite brooch presented here could have been used on such an occasion - or simply pay homage to the speed and cleverness of Master Reineke? Made of 9-karat gold, the brooch depicts a fox fleeing from a pack of wild hounds. Will he escape his pursuers? The bodies of the animals are covered in bright silver and fully set with white diamond roses, while small red rubies form the eyes. The brooch was created towards the end of the Victorian era, in the years around 1900. It came to us in the southern English county of Wiltshire. The piece of jewellery is in first-class condition and a stylish companion on any hunt - be it for the fox, a business deal, a drink or "just" a successful evening among friends.

Estimate:£1,576.88

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