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Dragonfly brooch

for Boucheron French
ca. 1890
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 556
Conceived as a dazzling dragonfly with delicate plique-à-jour wings, this brooch epitomizes the Art Nouveau style in both fashion and manufacture. With its translucent wings set en tremblant and its sparking rose-cut diamonds, the present jewel catches the light brilliantly. In the enameling technique called plique-à-jour, vitreous enamel is applied to openwork wire cells without a backing, creating the transparent effect of stained glass. The house of Boucheron was founded in 1858 by Frédéric Boucheron (1830–1902). First opened in the Galerie de Valois, under the arcades of the Palais Royal, the shop was perfectly situated in the center of Second Empire Parisian luxury. In 1893 Boucheron moved to the Place Vendôme—the first of the great French houses to occupy that location—where it remains headquartered to this day, with more than 30 branches across the globe.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Dragonfly brooch
  • Maker: Edgar Bense
  • Maker: for Boucheron (French, founded 1858)
  • Date: ca. 1890
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Gold, diamond, enamel
  • Dimensions: 5/8 × 4 5/8 × 2 9/16 in. (1.6 × 11.7 × 6.5 cm)
  • Classifications: Jewelry, Metalwork-Gold and Platinum
  • Credit Line: Gift of Albion Art Co. Ltd., 2018
  • Object Number: 2018.447.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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