Five designs for brooches with oval frames of stylized leaves, ribbons, and pearls
Five drawings in graphite of designs for brooches, in the style of the French School of the 19th century, designed for the French jewelry company Mellerio-Borgnis. Each drawing was created on a separate sheet of semi-transparent paper, all adhered to the same page of the album. All five drawings present oval frames with different sorts of garlands, ribbons, and looping scrolls. The first is made up of a garland of rosettes made of round stones or pearls and small, stylized leaves on the upper part of the frame, and an interlacing ribbon on the bottom with a round pearl under its center. The second frame is made up of a garland of small, stylized leaves and round pearls, and a ribbon that interlaces the upper part of it. The third frame is made up of a thin garland of tiny rosettes, with a ribbon bow flanking the upper part of the frame, and two scrolls flanking the sides of the inner oval. The fourth frame is formed by a loop that forms the oval frame, which holds a stylized leaf and four round pearld, and from which hangs a bundle of two small, stylized leaves and three strips of round and oval pearls; the central strip is longer than the other two. The fifth frame is made up of a strip of round pearls with a heart-shaped ribbon bow on the upper part, and a looping ribbon on the bottom, from which hangs a bundle of small, round pearls. There are traces of a sixth sheet of paper, of the same size as the others, which has been torn out of the page; it is likely that this sheet would have contained a sixth design for a brooch. The physical jewels from these designs would have likely been manufactured using gold or silver, and probably using brilliants, diamonds, or other (semi-) precious stones to add color and shine to the designs.
Artwork Details
- Title: Five designs for brooches with oval frames of stylized leaves, ribbons, and pearls
- Artist: F. Mellerio Borgnis
- Date: ca. 1830–70
- Medium: Graphite
- Dimensions: Sheet: 11 3/4 × 8 3/8 in. (29.9 × 21.2 cm)
Album: 8 11/16 in. × 12 in. × 1 3/8 in. (22 × 30.5 × 3.5 cm) - Classifications: Albums, Drawings, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: Gift of Raphael Esmerian, 1957
- Object Number: 57.662.4(17)
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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