AN EARLY 20TH CENTURY AQUAMARINE AND GARNET NECKLACE, CIRCA 1910

AN EARLY 20TH CENTURY AQUAMARINE AND GARNET NECKLACE CIRCA 1910 The pear, kite and marquise shaped aquamarines interspaced with cushion shaped garnets in cut down collet settings, to a belcher link back chain with barrel clasp, unmarked Size/dimensions: 39.0cm long, front drop section 5.7cm long Gross weight: 11.3 grams Provenance: Bonhams, Jewellery, 9 October 2013, part lot 158, from the family of William Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) showed artistic promise and passion from a young age, despite his father's objections to him pursuing a career in the arts. In spite of this, and financial struggles, his unrelenting drive to become an artist enabled him to realise his ambitions, joining the Royal Academy Schools in 1844. During this time he met his lifelong friend John Everett Millais, and together they helped formulate the foundations of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848. Hunt also introduced Dante Gabriel Rossetti to the Brotherhood during its founding, an alliance upon which he would later reflect less favourably. With a focus on realism and vibrant colour, Hunt's principal themes were inspired by religious symbolism and morality. Works such as The Scapegoat, painted following time spent in the Holy Land studying its landscape, light and topography, and The Awakening Conscience embody his artistic dispositions. His personal life was, at times, tumultuous. With a failed engagement to prolific Pre-Raphaelite model Annie Miller, due in part to her flirtation and possible relationship with Rossetti, he also endured the death of his first wife, Fanny Waugh, just over a month after the birth of their son, Cyril Benoni. He later married Fanny's younger sister, Edith, with their nuptials taking place in Switzerland, as marriage to a deceased wife's sister was then considered incestuous and therefore illegal in England. The marriage alienated them from their families, but they remained devoted to one another. Together they had two children, a daughter, Gladys, and a son, Hilary. Art historian Judith Bronkhurst notes the existence of an undated, brown-covered notebook, written by Gladys and inscribed 'Jewellery Silver Catalogue of the Works of W. Holman-Hunt at 18 Melbury Road'. Lots 75, 76 and 78 are specifically mentioned in the inventory, which records the contents of the residence where Hunt died in 1910 and where Edith continued to live until her death in 1931. Hilary's daughter, Diana Holman-Hunt, later wrote in her memoir, My Grandmothers and I, that Edith was known to say, 'Dear Holman simply showered me with gifts.' Diana also described a room at 18 Melbury Road, the Hunt family home, writing: 'The room was like Aladdin's cave with all the jewels about and the bag of gold under the bed.' Condition Report Disclaimer, AN EARLY 20TH CENTURY AQUAMARINE AND GARNET NECKLACE, AN EARLY 20TH CENTURY AQUAMARINE AND GARNET NECKLACE CIRCA 1910 The pear, kite and marquise shaped aquamarines interspaced with cushion shaped garnets in cut down collet settings, to a belcher link back chain with barrel clasp, unmarked Size/dimensions: 39.0cm long, front drop section 5.7cm long Gross weight: 11.3 grams Provenance: Bonhams, Jewellery, 9 October 2013, part lot 158, from the family of William Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) showed artistic promise and passion from a young age, despite his father's objections to him pursuing a career in the arts. In spite of this, and financial struggles, his unrelenting drive to become an artist enabled him to realise his ambitions, joining the Royal Academy Schools in 1844. During this time he met his lifelong friend John Everett Millais, and together they helped formulate the foundations of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848. Hunt also introduced Dante Gabriel Rossetti to the Brotherhood during its founding, an alliance upon which he would later reflect less favourably. With a focus on realism and vibrant colour, Hunt's principal themes were inspired by religious symbolism and morality. Works such as The Scapegoat, painted following time spent in the Holy Land studying its landscape, light and topography, and The Awakening Conscience embody his artistic dispositions. His personal life was, at times, tumultuous. With a failed engagement to prolific Pre-Raphaelite model Annie Miller, due in part to her flirtation and possible relationship with Rossetti, he also endured the death of his first wife, Fanny Waugh, just over a month after the birth of their son, Cyril Benoni. He later married Fanny's younger sister, Edith, with their nuptials taking place in Switzerland, as marriage to a deceased wife's sister was then considered incestuous and therefore illegal in England. The marriage alienated them from their families, but they remained devoted to one another. Together they had two children, a daughter, Gladys, and a son, Hilary. Art historian Judith Bronkhurst notes the existence of an undated, brown-covered notebook, written by Gladys and inscribed 'Jewellery Silver Catalogue of the Works of W. Holman-Hunt at 18 Melbury Road'. Lots 75, 76 and 78 are specifically mentioned in the inventory, which records the contents of the residence where Hunt died in 1910 and where Edith continued to live until her death in 1931. Hilary's daughter, Diana Holman-Hunt, later wrote in her memoir, My Grandmothers and I, that Edith was known to say, 'Dear Holman simply showered me with gifts.' Diana also described a room at 18 Melbury Road, the Hunt family home, writing: 'The room was like Aladdin's cave with all the jewels about and the bag of gold under the bed.', The Scapegoat, The Awakening Conscience, 'Jewellery Silver Catalogue of the Works of W. Holman-Hunt at 18 Melbury Road', My Grandmothers and I, 'Dear Holman simply showered me with gifts.', 'The room was like Aladdin's cave with all the jewels about and the bag of gold under the bed.', Condition Report Disclaimer

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