Jennifer Tonkin
Co-Head of Department UK
Lot 32
AN ART DECO MULTI GEM-SET AND DIAMOND PENDANT, CIRCA 1925 AND LATER
28 April 2021, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £24,000 inc. premium
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Marina Vieira
Specialist
AN ART DECO MULTI GEM-SET AND DIAMOND PENDANT, CIRCA 1925 AND LATER
The pentagonal plaque pierced and decorated with highly stylised floral and foliate motifs, set with single-cut diamonds, ruby, sapphire and emerald cabochons, onyx and green hardstone leaves with scalloped enamel borders, the outer plaque set with onyx cabochons, suspending diamond-set tassels terminating in fluted and polished emerald beads, the fountain surmount with similarly-set diamonds and a central sugarloaf ruby, on a cord set with green paste beads, between old brilliant-cut diamond and engraved foliate spacers, mounted in platinum, diamonds approximately 3.25 carats total, lengths: pendant 10.7cm, cord 65.0cm
Footnotes
This flat, highly stylised design of flowers and leaves in diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, jade and onyx of various cuts and shapes, is similar in taste to the jewels produced by Mauboussin in their Rue de Choiseul workshop in Paris from 1925 to 1928. During this period Mauboussin moved away from the "cold stiffness" and "dry formulae of the Cubists" towards curves and colour. For similar examples, see De Cerval, Marguerite, "Mauboussin", Paris, 1992, chapter "The 1920s A Burst of Colour", and Garbardi, Melissa, "Art Deco Jewellery 1920-49", Antique Collectors Club, 1989, pp 98, 100-101, 106, 111. It is also interesting to compare this jewel to the boldly coloured, naïve floral dress fabrics by Atelier Martine for Paul Poiret in 1919. Examples may be seen in the Victoria & Albert Museum London, accession number T.540-1919
