.jpg?w=1)
Details
An Art Nouveau gold, pearl, enamel and diamond ring,
modelled as a winged female form with an elongated pearl body set within a border of pale greenish blue enamel, the wings decorated with pale mauve plique à jour enamel, a single diamond collet to the terminal, circa 1900, unmarked, finger size L.
See plate 15 and front cover illustration, enlarged
modelled as a winged female form with an elongated pearl body set within a border of pale greenish blue enamel, the wings decorated with pale mauve plique à jour enamel, a single diamond collet to the terminal, circa 1900, unmarked, finger size L.
See plate 15 and front cover illustration, enlarged
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis
Further details
The winged female form is a typical motif of much Art Nouveau jewellery and is often seen as a symbol of the struggle for female emancipation. The butterfly combined with the female form is more obvious of this interest in metamorphosis, and the dragonfly is another typical example, but here the rather bat-like wings are perhaps more sinister, and demonstrate the Art Nouveau jewellers' fascination with nightmarish themes.