Antique Coral Necklace in Two Rows, c. 1900

In August of each year, the Baroness von Üchtlitz on Schlochtin celebrated her birthday with a summer party. Next to the castle, on the large meadow, there was a linden grove, "there the tea should be taken. The meadow and the copse were full of people, full of colorful dresses, colorful ribbons, colorful hats, and in the green of the copse, in the gold of the afternoon sun, all the colors took on a gemlike luster." The two young princesses of Neustatt-Birkenstein drove up in the Landau. They wore blue summer dresses, coral cords around their necks. In his last great novel, the "Princesses" from 1917, Eduard von Keyserling once again resurrected all the splendour of the nobility in the old empire - but with every ray of sunlight, the end of the familiar order already shines through. Here, at the Baroness' summer feast, it is quite natural to wear coral necklaces. For these jewels of the sea were a distinct summer ornament at the turn of the century. The necklace in two rows presented here is exactly the kind of jewellery the princesses of Neustatt-Birkenstein could have worn. It was probably made in Italy around 1900 and presents its salmon red corals in graduated rows. The colours of the coral beads alternate from a light salmon to a more vibrant orange, combining the nuances of a long summer. A simple, original gold on tombac clasp holds the necklace securely. Quoted from Eduard von Keyserling: Fürstinnen. Novelle. Afterword by Jens Malte Fischer, Zurich: Manesse 2017, pp. 62-63.

Estimate:$775.93

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