Delicate Art Nouveau Brooch with Natural Pearls & Diamonds, c. 1910

Whether New York, Paris or Berlin - at the beginning of the 20th century, fashions in the major cities were very similar. The urban industrialists, the old aristocracy in Europe, the jeunesse dorée: they were all able to wear their elegantly tailored dresses and suits, as well as their jewellery, in the major cities of Europe and even North America and were equally en vogue everywhere. There was by no means just one fashion, especially in the field of jewellery. Classicist trends were on an equal footing with more daring Art Nouveau designs. The typical forms of the latter can also be seen in this piece of jewellery. It is made of gold with a platinum front and is richly set with diamonds in historical cuts. Two elegant arches grow out of a leaf ornament and form an inflorescence which, as a floral element, demonstrates the favorite theme of Art Nouveau, the growth and development of plants. The design ends in a suspended pendulum. It is no longer clear where the work was created. Its first wearer could have admired very similar designs Unter den Linden as well as in the Rue de la Paix, in London as well as in Prague. The hallmarks on the C-hook and the pin show that the piece of jewellery spent at least some time right here, in the former KuK monarchy. They prove that it was exported to the Bohemian capital between 1902 and 1922. It was probably made in Germany. The catalog of the jeweler F. Todt from Pforzheim for the year 1913/14 shows a very similar design under the number 332. The brooch is in very good condition, with high-quality fittings and workmanship. A beautiful and wearable piece of jewelry history that tells of the globalization of elegant taste.

Estimate:£1,265.65

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