The Ornamented Being
Ornamented: -verb: Adorn; beautify. Be·ing: -noun: Fulfillment of possibilities; essential completeness.
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For everyone who fell in love with Mucha.
Brooch, ca. 1900
Manufacturer: Georges Fouquet (French, 1862–1957); Designer: Alphonse Mucha (Czech, 1860–1939)
Gold, enamel, mother-of-pearl, opal, emerald, colored stones, gold paint“This remarkable brooch is a highlight of the three-year partnership of Georges Fouquet, the French jeweler known for his inventiveness and high-quality execution, and Alphonse Mucha, the Czech graphic artist whose work perhaps best epitomizes the decorative luxuries of the Art Nouveau style. The two men collaborated from 1899 to 1901. At a time when the emphasis had been on precious stones in traditional settings usually derived from the Louis XVI period, Fouquet and Mucha together redefined fine jewelry design, espousing the belief that the beauty of a jewel depends on its artistic conception. Materials were chosen for their contribution to the overall design, not for their intrinsic value.
Mucha conceived a spectacular series of elaborate jewels to be executed by Fouquet in his Paris atelier. Those objects formed the centerpiece of Fouquet’s display at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. In 1901, he asked Mucha to carry out an idea that he had kept in mind for a number of years: Fouquet wanted new premises in which the interior decoration harmonized with the jewelry he was creating. By the end of the year, he had moved his business to the Rue Royale, where the interiors were of unparalleled Art Nouveau sumptuousness.”
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c. 1550
The V&A says: Renaissance pendants were sometimes made as amulets as a protection against danger. At that time people believed that the horn of the dolphin-like narwhal came from unicorns. They valued it highly as a detector of poison in food and drink. This pendant formerly belonged to the Campion family of Danny in Sussex.
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- Place of origin:
Europe (made)
- Date:
late 16th century (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown
- Materials and Techniques:
Enamelled gold set with a baroque pearl and a ruby and hung with pearls
- Credit Line:
Given by Dame Joan Evans
- Museum number:
M.243-1975
- Gallery location:
In store
The V&A doesn’t have anything interesting to say about this piece.
- Place of origin:
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Place of origin: Europe (west, made)
- Date:
late 16th century (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown
- Materials and Techniques:
Enamelled gold, set with pearls and an emerald
- Credit Line:
Salting Bequest
- Museum number:
M.537-1910
- Gallery location:
Medieval and Renaissance, room 62, case 8
The V&A says: he body of this salamander consists of a large ‘baroque’ or irregular-shaped pearl. Baroque pearls presented the jeweller with an opportunity to demonstrate their skill at adapting an object formed by nature to the requirements of Renaissance fashion. White pearls set in mounts became the height of fashion in the later sixteenth century and irregular-shaped specimens were as highly prized as perfectly spherical examples.
The belief that the salamander, a small amphibious creature resembling a lizard, was impervious to fire and could extinguish flames was recorded by Aristotle and Pliny. It became an attribute of fire personified and as such was associated with the condition of the ardent lover. This jewel may well have been an expensive love token given to a man or a woman.
- Date:
