Antique Brooch with Amethyst and Pearls in Gold, Great Britain, c. 1905

In the years around 1900, Art Nouveau transformed the decorative arts throughout Europe. Although it received its best-known name and some of its strongest impulses from France and Belgium, the new style was never uniform. In Germany, Jugendstil often tended towards greater geometric clarity; in Spain, it assumed fantastical and highly expressive forms; while in Britain it developed in close dialogue with the Arts and Crafts movement. British jewellery of the period acquired a distinctive character of its own, combining flowing botanical motifs with delicate openwork, coloured gemstones and pearls. These designs remain captivating today for their freshness, lightness and imaginative use of colour. This graceful brooch came to us from London. Its elongated outline is formed from slender gold wires and sweeping curves that unfold into an airy composition of leaves and clusters of flowers. At its centre, an intensely violet, pear-shaped amethyst is suspended freely, allowing it to move gently with the wearer and catch the light. Small natural pearls enliven the openwork design with softly shimmering accents and lend the jewel the playful refinement so characteristic of British day jewellery in the early years of the twentieth century. Created during the reign of Edward VII, the brooch reflects the elegance and cultivated naturalism of the Edwardian age while retaining the unmistakable freedom of Art Nouveau. It is crafted in 15-carat gold, a characteristically British standard introduced in the nineteenth century and discontinued at the end of 1932. Together with its London provenance, this unusual alloy further confirms the brooch’s distinctly British identity.

Estimate:$1,559.2

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