Elegant Art Deco Brooch with Diamonds in Platinum on Gold, c. 1930

In the midst of the ever faster changing world of the years after the First World War, the artists and craftsmen of Art Deco sought to find a new formal language. They rejected the forms of Art Nouveau, which they considered too sweet, too transfigured, and sought geometric rigor. This alone seemed appropriate for the age of automobiles, skyscrapers and express trains. This bar brooch is also committed to this aesthetic. The goldsmith has rhythmically structured the platinum-plated display side with C-sweeps, shadow gaps and milgrains. At the center of the design, slightly raised in their settings, are seven old-cut diamonds accompanied by 16 rose cut diamonds. Bar brooches like these were worn in many different ways: For example, in contrast to the 1910s, they were worn slightly crooked and casual instead of perfectly straight. Bar brooches were worn on the top button of elegant blouses or shirts inspired by men's fashion, or even on a tie, as a deliberate break in style and expression of emancipation - unthinkable just a few years previously. This very well-preserved brooch came to us from Hamburg. It was probably also once made in Germany.

Estimate:£1,860.25

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