Around Lake Zug

Magnificent Bracelet with Geneva Enamel Painting in Gold, c. 1830

€ 6,980.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Magnificent Bracelet with Geneva Enamel Painting in Gold, c. 1830

Description

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

The history of our continent always surprises us with unexpected twists and turns. It was news to us, for example, that even at the beginning of the 19th century, long before the invention of the railroad or mountain sports, a stay at the Swiss lakes was a popular vacation destination for people from all over Europe! And as human nature would suggest, these tourists naturally wanted to take home a souvenir of their trip. Today, these trips are still the subject of their own genre of jewelry. So-called "Geneva enamels" were real export hits in the 1820s and 1830s, only to disappear again almost completely shortly afterwards. Usually set in warm, gleaming gold, these enamel-painted plaques show Swiss inhabitants in local costume. Sometimes the young ladies and gentlemen are depicted as portraits, in other cases as entire figures in the landscape of their canton of origin. The bracelet presented here is one such piece of Swiss commemorative jewelry, albeit of such rich decoration and wonderful quality that only a few of the travelers of the time were able to purchase it. The large magnificent clasp presents three scenes at once. In the center is a couple in the traditional costume of the canton of Zug. To the left is a lady from the canton of Schwyz. On the right is a girl from Lucerne. All of the scenes show the sitters greatly enlarged on the shore of a lake, under a glowing sky and in front of a mountain range: it is the Rigi, which towers imposingly over Lake Zug, on which all three cantons border. The scenes, painted with the finest detail, are framed in yellow gold with colorful enamels. Flowers, leaves and elegant curves enliven every part of the clasp's surface. The leaves between the three scenes are also made of slightly greenish or reddish gold, which makes the work look even richer. The actual bracelet then consists of four rows of leaves with colorful flowers in between. It is particularly fortunate that the bracelet has survived with its original, antique case; this is also the reason why the painted scenes are so immaculately preserved. Only the enamel overlay of the flowers and leaves has a few flaws. We discovered the volume in Munich. Bracelets like this one have been discussed time and again in the literature on the history of jewelry. Some rich examples can be found in David Bennet & Daniela Mascetti: Understanding Jewellery, Woodbridge 2010, p. 93 and p. 95; see also Charlotte Gere and Judy Rudoe: Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria, London 2010, p. 492 on this type of jewelry.

Size & Details

Around Lake Zug

€ 6,980.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

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