Design for a brooch with a frame of interlacing branches with stylized leaves, possibly after jewel designed by Alexis Falize in the Second Empire
Anonymous, French, 19th century French
After (?) Alexis Falize French
Not on view
Design for a brooch, created in the Second Empire (ca. 1850-70) by French jeweler Alexis Falize, part of an album of drawings by various artists for individual pieces of jewelry, containing a variety of designs in the Art Nouveau style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, as well as some pieces of the Second Empire. The design consists of a round, gray glass stone, inside by a thin ring of gold, framed by interlacing branches of gold with stylized leaves colored with red and green, possibly intended to be achieved by using enamel on the manufactured jewel. The design reveals are of the style of the Second Empire in France, which were inspired on Greek and Roman antiquity and Mediterranean cultures, and featured compositions with semi-precious stones, such as turquoise and coral, together with enamel and gold. It is likely that glass stones were used as an alternative to pearls, diamonds, or other (semi-)precious stones.
