Arts & Crafts

Wonderful Arts & Crafts brooch by Dorrie Nossiter, ca. 1935

Description

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

This unusual brooch from early 20th century England is a special piece. Its design vibrates between natural form and art, between shape and design - and is thus an excellent example of the late style of the British Arts and Crafts Movement (Cf. them "Learn more..."). The basic shape of the brooch with its rectangular frame is reminiscent of a brooch. Sixteen precious gemstones, including two large Ceylon sapphires and four shimmering moonstones, are set into a multi-layered mesh of tendrils and foliage reminiscent of goldsmith's work of the Middle Ages. The design unfolds on the short sides of the rectangle to meet in the middle of the long sides. Corresponding to this, two acanthus leaves, which look like the crabs of a gothic flying buttress, of high-carat gold are applied to the otherwise silver brooch and accompany granulated grapes. Nine faceted rhodolite thimbles set in a bezel add bold accents to the pastel play of colours, creating a jewel-shaped Garden of Eden. The originator of this unsigned brooch is without doubt one of the most important representatives of the Arts and Crafts movement of the 20th century, Dorrie Nossiter (1893-1977). From 1935 she lived in London, where she participated in numerous exhibitions. One of the most sensational of these was "Art by Four Women" at Walker's Gallery, London, where Nossiter exhibited from 1935 to 1939. The last photograph shown here and our brooch date from this period. The brooch is a museum-worthy, wonderful example of a piece of jewellery of the continuation of the Arts and Crafts Movement from the hand of Dorrie Nossiter. It is a gem on the lapel and a showpiece in any good jewellery collection.

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The Arts and Craft Movement was a movement in arts and crafts, first British and later American, from the second half of the 19th century to about 1920. Founded by William Morris, John Ruskin and a group of painters, architects, and other artists came together to find a new connection between art, society, and work. Morris, in particular, placed great emphasis on his own work, the joy of manual labor, and natural beauty of the material. Therefore, many of the designs of this group are characterized by a certain craftsmanship of the design and a powerful, sometimes at first glance somewhat coarse-looking design language, which in detail, however, then again inspires with its ingenuity and workmanship. In the age of machine production, the artists of Arts and Crafts wanted to achieve a return to craftsmanship and a reunification of art and craftsmanship with the aim of restoring the creative fullness of craftsmanship. In this endeavor, their ideas converged with those of Art Nouveau and Art Nouveau artists on the continent, and the two art movements shared many common ideas about form.

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Size & Details

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