AN 18K GOLD ROOSTER BROOCH, BY PATEK PHILIPPE AND JEAN LUCRAT

JEAN LUCRAT Tapestry designer Jean Lurcat was born into a family engrossed in art production. Noted for his tapestry productions, more than his painting or jewelry design, the young Lurcat expanded his education at the Ecole dex Beaux-Arts and Academie Colarossi. It can be hypothesized that his understanding of metals and their fabrication began with his study under the engraver Bernard Naudin (1876-1946) at the Colarossi. However, Lurcat's main love was tapestry, an art form for which he gained understanding from watching his mother in her domestic activity of sewing. Following his paintings as a pattern for his tapestries, Lurcat gave his tapestries an extra punch with vibrant color and imagery, which at times was unsettling. His intensity of colored tapestries presented at a Zurich exhibition in 1917 were inspired by the recent shocking colors used by the Fauves, especially by the movement's most visible member, Henri Matisse. Lurcat's tapestries of the late 1950's onward became continually surreal in their format. His Song of the World (1957-64) based on the tale of the Apocalypse represents the pessimistic effects of technology, a feeling found throughout the art world at the time. Lurcat, however, was not overtaken by this pessimism and continued to depict more lighthearted subjects such as animals and galaxies in his tapestries. Similar to Lurcat's method of basing his tapestries upon his paintings, his jewelry pieces would find their design inspiration in his tapestries. Le Coq is an excellent example of how Lurcat, with the help of jeweler Francois Hugo, would quote an image he previously created in paint or fabric and replicate this image in a miniature sculpture. Later in his career, Hugo would also help Lurcat produce jewelry for the renowned watch company Patek Philippe. Although interested in jewelry Lurcat would continue to devote most of his time and energy to tapestry, redefining its imagery and representation.

Details

AN 18K GOLD ROOSTER BROOCH, BY PATEK PHILIPPE AND JEAN LUCRAT
Designed with textured 18k yellow and rose gold feathers
Signed and designed by Jean Lucrat, signed and manufactured by Patek Philippe