Design for a Brooch (?) with Semi-Abstract Motifs
Drawing with a design for a brooch (?), probably designed between the 1900s and the 1930s, 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 in historic period styles. The design consists of a thin oval frame with a variety of semi-abstract scrolling motifs with zig-zagging edges, circular motifs of different sizes, and undulating, wavy, semi-abstract cotal motifs. This design reveals the aesthetic of late Art Nouveau jewelry style, designed, among others, by Rene Lalique, which drew inspiration from antiquity and japonism, abandoning the exclusive use traditional precious stones in the manufacture of jewels, and using, instead, a combination of gold, gemstones, semi-precious stones, mother-of-pearl, ivory and horn, enamel, and glass, to create colorful, powerful, and sinuous designs, often presenting animal and other figurative motifs.
Artwork Details
- Title: Design for a Brooch (?) with Semi-Abstract Motifs
- Artist: Anonymous, French, 19th century
- Date: ca. 1900–1940
- Medium: Graphite on brown, semi-transparent paper
- Dimensions: Sheet: 10 13/16 × 7 1/16 in. (27.4 × 18 cm)
Album: 14 3/16 in. × 11 in. × 9/16 in. (36 × 28 × 1.5 cm) - Classifications: Albums, Drawings, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1953
- Object Number: 53.670.31
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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