METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
New York City
* Largest museum in the USA
www.metmuseum.org
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After browsing through the online catalogue of the Mets collections, the following are my favorite jewelry acquisition.
Most of these are currently not on display, probably to make way for the exhibition of the moment Jewelry for America. I explored this exhibition virtually and also made a selection of the standouts.
Beginning with Art Nouveau from the legendary Georges Fouquet and René Lalique
Georges Fouquet collaboration with Alphonse Mucha
ca.1900
Pendant
Gold, enamel, mother-of-pearl, opal, emerald, colored stones, gold paint
Not on view
This remarkable pendant marks a high point in the three-year partnership of Fouquet, the renowned French jeweler, and Mucha, the Czech graphic artist whose work has become synonymous with Art Nouveau style. The two men collaborated from 1899 to 1901, during which time Mucha not only conceived a spectacular series of elaborate jewels executed by Fouquet's Paris atelier but also designed a sumptuous new Fouquet showroom in the rue Royale, where the interior decoration specifically harmonized with the jewelry. The pendant reflects an early-twentieth-century shift away from the prevailing taste for precious stones in traditional historicist settings toward a new approach in which unorthodox materials were chosen for their contribution to the overall design in the belief that the beauty of a jewel depended on its artistic conception rather than the intrinsic value of its materials.
Georges Fouquet ca. 1923 Dress ornament Jade, onyx, diamonds, enamel, platinum Not on view
René-Jules Lalique ca. 1897–99 Necklace Gold, enamel, opals, amethysts Not on view
René-Jules Lalique was born in the Marne region of France. As a young student he showed great artistic promise and his mother guided him toward jewelry making. From 1876 to 1878 he apprenticed with Louis Aucoc, a noted Parisian jeweler. By the 1890s he had opened his own workshop in Paris and become one of the most admired jewelers of the day.
Lalique avoided using precious stones and the conservatively classical settings favored by other leading jewelers of the time. Rather, he combined semiprecious stones with such materials as enamel, horn, ivory, coral, rock crystal, and irregularly shaped Baroque pearls in settings of organic inspiration, frequently accentuated by asymmetrical curves or elaborate flourishes.
He designed this powerfully evocative necklace for his second wife, Augustine-Alice Ledru, around the turn of the century. The repeats of the main motif — an attenuated female nude whose highly stylized curling hair swirls around her head and whose arms sensuously curve down to become a border enclosing enamel-and-gold swans and an oval cabochon amethyst — are separated by pendants set with fire opals mounted in swirling gold tendrils.
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René-Jules Lalique ca. 1901 Pendant Gold, enamel, opal, pearl, diamonds
displayed
French Art Nouveau jeweler René Lalique was perhaps most innovative and subtle in his combinations of enameling and precious stones. This pendant is in the form of two confronted peacocks standing on the flat edge of a triangular cabochon opal, from the base of which a baroque pearl is suspended. The peacocks are formed with cloisonné enameling in light shades of blue and green with dark blue and white wing feathers. Tail feathers terminate in openwork stylized "eyes" of diamonds and blue enamel.
René-Jules Lalique ca. 1905 Brooch Gold, enamel, diamonds, glass Not on view
Headdress Ornament in the Shape of Double Bird
late 19th–early 20th century
Attributed to Central Asia or Iran
Silver; fire-gilded, with chip-carved decoration, cabochon carnelians, turquoise-beaded balls, and links
Not currently on view
Gold earrings with pendant vase and ring 4th century B.C. Etruscan Gold
Earring with pendants and female head
3rd century B.C.
Gold, silver
Not currently on view
Presentation Sword with Scabbard Honoring Commandant Jean-Baptiste Marchand (1863–1934) for His Conduct at Fashoda1889
Hilt designed by Jean-Joseph-Marie-Anatole Marquet de Vasselot
Copper alloy, gold, enamel, jade, steel
Saber with Scabbardgrip 18th or 19th century; guard and scabbard, 19th century; blade, dated A.H. 1099/A.D. 1688; decoration on blade, 19th century grip, Indian; guard, scabbard, and decoration on blade Turkish; blade, Iranian
Steel, gold, silver, jade (nephrite), diamonds, emeralds, pearls
William Harper 1978 Ghost Oracle Pendant-brooch Gold, enamel, silver, pearls
Currently not on view
William Harper resurrected the medieval technique of cloisonné enamel that had captivated such turn-of-the-century artist-designers as René Lalique, C. R. Ashbee, and Alexander Fisher. Like the Arts and Crafts artisans before him, Harper revels in combinations of color-rich materials.
Current Exhibition
Cameo ca. 1860 Onyx, gold, diamonds
ca. 1878
Necklace
Multicolored gold
This bracelet is a copy of a fifth-century b.c. example unearthed at the site of Kourion (Curium), Cyprus, in the 1870s by Luigi Palma di Cesnola, who later became the first director of The Met. Through an exclusive arrangement, Tiffany & Co. reproduced several items from Cesnola’s Cypriot collection. Almost simultaneously, the firm began to manufacture a range of jewelry inspired by Japanese art, often employing varicolored metals, such as those used on the openwork plaques of this necklace.
A. J. Hedges & Co. 1879–90 Bracelet Gold, diamond, and Montana sapphires
To create this innovative design for a link bracelet, A.J. Hedges & Co. utilized their patented process for mottling yellow, white, and rose gold, a technique inspired by Japanese metalwork. The links imitate squares of checked cloth, which are joined together by tiny gold pins. Set with a single diamond and two Montana sapphires, this clever trompe l’oeil pattern reflects both the "art for art’s sake" sensibilities of the Aesthetic movement and the forward-looking tastes of Modernism.
Gorham Manufacturing Company American
1887
Chatelaine Silver, red glass, and black beads
With its eight limbs, the octopus was an ingenious choice for a chatelaine, a belt hook that carried small household items from its chains. Surviving records suggest that Gorham manufactured two octopus chatelaines. At least one of these devices was equipped by the factory with its attachments, including scissors, a knife, a vinaigrette, a tablet, a pin cushion, and a needle case. The back plate is marked with the Gorham trademark and stamped with the date letter for 1887.
Theodore B. Starr ca. 1900 Brooch
Gold, amethyst, demantoid garnet, and enamel
Theodore B. Starr was among New York’s major jewelry firms during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Originally in partnership with Herman Marcus under the name Starr & Marcus, Starr established his own eponymous firm in 1877. This brooch exhibits the Egyptian revival style—evoking treasures unearthed from ancient royal tombs—that captivated jewelers and their patrons from the 1860s to the 1920s.
Marcus and Co. ca. 1900
Brooch
Plique-à-jour enamel, conch pearl, diamond, platinum and eighteen karat gold
This sweet pea brooch is a superb example of Marcus & Co.’s work in plique-à-jour. In this technique, the cells of color have no backing, allowing light to shine through the transparent enamel. Here, four conch pearls descend as buds beneath the remarkably three-dimensional diamond-set leaves. One of the few American firms to succeed at this challenging technique, Marcus & Co. followed the lead of innovative French designers such as René Lalique.
Cartier ca. 1905
Lorgnettes
Platinum, diamonds
Lorgnettes are eyeglasses held up to the eyes rather than worn as spectacles. Customarily attached to long chains, they were particularly fashionable at the opera. This pair was made by Cartier in New York for the art collector and philanthropist Jeanette Dwight Bliss, whose initials appear on the nosepiece. Popular coiled snake motifs ornament each of the frames, which hold two sets of lenses. These descended to Jeanette’s daughter, Susan Dwight Bliss, who donated them to The Met.
Probably Tiffany & Co. ca. 1910 Brooch
Diamonds, pearls, platinum
ca. 1977
Bracelet
metal, glass
Among the best-known names in costume jewelry is Kenneth Jay Lane, whose clients included first ladies Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Barbara Bush, the fashion editor Diana Vreeland, and the Duchess of Windsor. Lane’s designs often imitated work by contemporary fine jewelers, such as his friend Fulco Verdura. Here, Lane copied the Maltese cross cuffs created by Verdura for Coco Chanel in the 1930s. Both the elegant originals and Lane’s more affordable versions became especially popular. This pair was originally owned by actress Lauren Bacall.
Verdura for Chanel
1990
Bracelet
ivory, gold, precious gems
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