Four designs for brooches with cartouches and monograms
Four 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. The first drawing contains two brooches, each made up of two oval frames surrounded by scrolling motifs, and stanging over a fleur-de-lis motif over stylized leaves; the design on the left is flanked above by a ribbon bow of three loops, and the design on the right by a crown motif. The second drawing consists of a monogram (?) made up of scrolling motifs, flanked above by a crown with round pearls; four smaller scrolling motifs are drawn around it, possibly to show alternatives to the crown. The third drawing containts a brooch made up of two oval frames with crosses, standing on a fleur-de-lis motif with offsetting scrolls and flanked above by a crown motif, and a vase-shaped brooch made up of scrolling motifs on a semi-circular vase and with a round hatch above. The fourth drawing consists of two scrolling motifs over interlacing knots with hanging hatches underneath them, and flanked above by crown motifs. 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: Four designs for brooches with cartouches and monograms
- 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(20)
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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