Art Nouveau enamel brooch

Description

Art Nouveau enamel brooch in silver (935) in the form of an arc of circle. The brooch is set with paste stones and decorated with matte plique-à-jour enamel ranging from green to purple. Two imitation pearls are suspended below the brooch. Jugendstil movement, German Art Nouveau, probably Pforzheim, unknown signature.

Marked 935, monogram HE

Dimensions: 28 mm x 30 mm

Condition: wears, small restoration of the clasp

Weight : 4.41 gr

Technical point : the plique a jour is an enameling technique very fashionable in the 19th century. Similar to the cloisonné technique, it consists in the application of enamels without a metallic background. In such a way that the enamelled jewel, once heated, lets the light in through its transparency or translucency and lets the colors bewitch the observer. To better understand, we could say that it is a miniature stained glass. The great masters of Art Nouveau were passionate about it, René Lalique, Eugène Feuillâtre, Henri Vever, etc. In Japan, this technique is known as “shoota-hippo”. In the world of contemporary jewelry, the great Russian jewelry artist Ilgiz Fazulzyanov specializes in enamel and does not hide from being inspired by Rene Lalique.