The Art Forms of Nature

Delicate Antique Ruby and Diamond Pendant, c. 1910

€ 3,490.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Delicate Antique Ruby and Diamond Pendant, c. 1910

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

It is well known that Art Nouveau was inspired by nature. But did you know that around 1900, not only the shapes of flowers found their way into the designs of arts and crafts artists, but even those of tiny organisms? The German zoologist Ernst Haeckel had studied and drawn these and published them as lithographs between 1899 and 1904 under the name "Kunstformen der Natur" (Art Forms of Nature). Haeckel's observations not only inspired German jewellery designers. In 1904, it was also said of Fouquet's jewels that "the influence of the German professor Häckel can be seen in the motifs. Some of them are formed directly in the spirit of the "art forms of nature". Shells, corals and seaweed, the whimsical inhabitants of the ocean, have been transformed here into decorative forms." This pendant also looks like a reinterpretation of the latest scientific findings: it could just as easily be a reproduction of a snowflake observed under a microscope as an interpretation of a Haeckel lithograph. Delicate bars of precious metal and sparkling diamonds are arranged like rays around a radius of glowing rubies. A single diamond shines in the center, which - like the other large diamonds in the pendant - has found a second use here based on its cut and was probably taken from an heirloom so that its owner could keep up with fashion without the costly use of new materials. We were able to discover the piece of jewellery in southern Germany. The matching white gold chain was added at a later date. The quotation from M. Escherich: 'Die Ausstellung moderner Kunstgegenstände in Wiesbaden', Journal der Goldschmiedekunst, June 18, 1904, pp. 173-176, here p. 174.

Size & Details

The Art Forms of Nature

€ 3,490.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

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