Designs for four brooches and a bracelet with ribbons, pearls, and stylized leaves
Five drawings in graphite of designs for four brooches and a bracelet, 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 design consists of an oval loop holding a stylized leaf and round pearls, with a pair of smaller stylized leaves holding strips of round and oval pearls, hanging from it, and two strips of round and oval pearls hanging to the sides of the central, longer strip. The second brooch consists of two oval frames surrounded by scrolling motifs and flanked above by a crown motif with round pearls; three strips hang from it, each consisting of a chain, a long cylinder with vertical stripes, and an oval with diagonal stripes. The third brooch consists of a large ribbon bow with three loops, holding scroling strips of round pearls and stylized leaves, and from which hang three strips of round pearls of decreasing size, each ending on a small foil; the middle strip also contains two pairs of stylized leaves. The fourth brooch consists of a lozenge-shaped frame with scrolling motifs, flanked above by a crown motif and below by a small fleur-de-lis. The fifth drawing consists of a design for a bracelet, made up of a gold bangle with a garland of stylized leaves and round pearls. 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: Designs for four brooches and a bracelet with ribbons, pearls, and stylized leaves
- 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(23)
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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