Details
The Property of
A LADY
A RARE BELLE EPOQUE DIAMOND STOMACHER BROOCH, BY CARTIER
In the garland style, the scrolled old European-cut diamond openwork panel suspending to the centre a pear-shaped diamond flexible pendant in a diamond collet surround and four old European-cut diamond flexible festoons, each with a larger old European-cut diamond terminal, 1909, in the original Cartier red leather fitted case
By Cartier, Paris, with letter from Cartier confirming authenticity
This stomacher is an exquisite example of the bodice jewellery created by Cartier between 1895 and 1910. Stomachers, sometimes referred to as "devant le corsage", first appeared in the fifteenth century. Generally triangular in form, they were attached to a woman's gown between the décolletage and the waistline and usually consisted of floral or bow patterns. Many were created with detachable pendants in order to adapt to the variety of occasions at which they were worn. Renaissance versions tended to be heavy. Enamelled and jewelled in an elaborate fashion, they were the opposite of their eighteenth century counterparts, the lacy designs of the Louis XVI style in particular. One of the more famous of these jewels can be seen in a portrait of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) painted by Allan Ramsay circa 1762.
Corsage ornaments, stomachers in particular, enjoyed a revival during the Edwardian Period (1880-1915). As jeweller's became more deft with platinum, designs of an extreme delicacy and complexity became possible. Acanthus shoots, garlands of lilies, laurel wreaths and roses, reminiscent of the light and airy designs of the eighteenth century, were typical.
Aside from its exceptional quality and beauty, what makes this stomacher so extraordinary is its rarity. As clothing fashions changed in 1910 from dresses which emphasized the waistline to those which were vertical in design, stomachers became obsolete. Consequently, many women broke up their corsage ornaments to create jewellery more in keeping with the new styles. Hence, very few stomachers can now be found in their original form.
A LADY
A RARE BELLE EPOQUE DIAMOND STOMACHER BROOCH, BY CARTIER
In the garland style, the scrolled old European-cut diamond openwork panel suspending to the centre a pear-shaped diamond flexible pendant in a diamond collet surround and four old European-cut diamond flexible festoons, each with a larger old European-cut diamond terminal, 1909, in the original Cartier red leather fitted case
By Cartier, Paris, with letter from Cartier confirming authenticity
This stomacher is an exquisite example of the bodice jewellery created by Cartier between 1895 and 1910. Stomachers, sometimes referred to as "devant le corsage", first appeared in the fifteenth century. Generally triangular in form, they were attached to a woman's gown between the décolletage and the waistline and usually consisted of floral or bow patterns. Many were created with detachable pendants in order to adapt to the variety of occasions at which they were worn. Renaissance versions tended to be heavy. Enamelled and jewelled in an elaborate fashion, they were the opposite of their eighteenth century counterparts, the lacy designs of the Louis XVI style in particular. One of the more famous of these jewels can be seen in a portrait of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) painted by Allan Ramsay circa 1762.
Corsage ornaments, stomachers in particular, enjoyed a revival during the Edwardian Period (1880-1915). As jeweller's became more deft with platinum, designs of an extreme delicacy and complexity became possible. Acanthus shoots, garlands of lilies, laurel wreaths and roses, reminiscent of the light and airy designs of the eighteenth century, were typical.
Aside from its exceptional quality and beauty, what makes this stomacher so extraordinary is its rarity. As clothing fashions changed in 1910 from dresses which emphasized the waistline to those which were vertical in design, stomachers became obsolete. Consequently, many women broke up their corsage ornaments to create jewellery more in keeping with the new styles. Hence, very few stomachers can now be found in their original form.