Towards
the end of the 19th century there was a backlash against cheap,
poor-quality jewelry and other mass-produced goods throughout Europe
and the United States, led mainly by artists and the educated
classes. Designers and artisans rejected machine manufacturing in
favor of traditional handcrafting: they believed that a piece of
jewelry should be appreciated for its fine workmanship and the
creativity it expressed.
Art
Nouveau was a new international style which got its name from a
Parisian shop called Maison de l'Art Nouveau that was owned by the
influential art dealer Samuel Bing. It was at its most pervasive in
France but its influence was felt across the western hemisphere. Not
only did the Art Nouveau movement unite the arts, it succeeded in
revolutionizing design, too.
The new style looked forward to the future rather than back to the past, and was the first modern look for the new 2()th century.
The new style looked forward to the future rather than back to the past, and was the first modern look for the new 2()th century.
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| Art Nouveau Jewellery |
Art
Nouveau's most emblematic motif was a long, sinuous line, like a
whiplash, which was used to represent everything from a plant's
tendrils to a maiden's flowing hair or swirling robes. One of the
movement's underlying themes was the ruthless beauty of nature.
Mysterious, alluring, and sensual semi-clad sirens—known as femmes-fleur—dragonflies, orchids, bats, and mistletoe were all quintessential Art Nouveau images, as were peacocks and their feathers. The style introduced a moody, earthy palette of rich browns, greens, yellows, and harebell blues. Bold, sensual, even decadent—Art Nouveau jewelry was the complete opposite of the restrained good taste expressed by the gem-set pieces from the 1890s and early 1900s.
Mysterious, alluring, and sensual semi-clad sirens—known as femmes-fleur—dragonflies, orchids, bats, and mistletoe were all quintessential Art Nouveau images, as were peacocks and their feathers. The style introduced a moody, earthy palette of rich browns, greens, yellows, and harebell blues. Bold, sensual, even decadent—Art Nouveau jewelry was the complete opposite of the restrained good taste expressed by the gem-set pieces from the 1890s and early 1900s.
Inspired
by this burgeoning spirit, enameling techniques unseen for centuries
were revived. Enamel is essentially a compound of powdered tinted
glass fixed to the surface of jewelry by low-temperature firing.
Plique-a-jour enamel has 15th-century origins but is predominantly
associated with Art Nouveau jewelry.
Meaning
"open to light," plique-a-jour is one of the most difficult
forms of enamel decoration to master, and creates an effect similar
to stained glass.
This remarkable form of jewelry is produced by filling metal cells backed with copper foil with an enamel compound. The compound is fired, cooled, and hardened. The foil backing is then dissolved with acid to reveal the finished piece. Art Nouveau jewelers renowned for their plique-a-jour pieces include Georges Fouquet, Philippe Wolfers, and Lucien Gaillard.
This remarkable form of jewelry is produced by filling metal cells backed with copper foil with an enamel compound. The compound is fired, cooled, and hardened. The foil backing is then dissolved with acid to reveal the finished piece. Art Nouveau jewelers renowned for their plique-a-jour pieces include Georges Fouquet, Philippe Wolfers, and Lucien Gaillard.
Emphasis
on materials with little intrinsic value
Many
Art Nouveau jewelers preferred working in humble and more affordable
materials such as ivory, horn, glass, copper, and silver. They
produced pieces for their aesthetic properties rather than intrinsic
worth, emphasizing their passionate belief that craftsmanship and
artistry were more important than costly metals or precious gems.
This reinforced an attitude to jewelry that grew throughout the 20th century: it was considered a personal adornment and fashion accessory rather than a signifier of wealth.
This reinforced an attitude to jewelry that grew throughout the 20th century: it was considered a personal adornment and fashion accessory rather than a signifier of wealth.
However,
just because this jewelry was made from modest materials, it did not
mean the results were inexpensive. Rene Lalique, the most influential
jeweler of the Art Nouveau era, worked in plique-a-jour was his
favorite medium, and was widely acclaimed for his exquisitely
executed pieces. Lalique pioneered the combination of gold and costly
stones with lesser materials such as moonstone, horn, pressed glass,
ivory, steel, and aluminum.
Although he was inspired by Noe-classical, Symbolist, and Oriental designs, nature was the main driving force behind his astonishingly original jewelry.
Although he was inspired by Noe-classical, Symbolist, and Oriental designs, nature was the main driving force behind his astonishingly original jewelry.
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| Art Nouveau Jewellery |
Many
of his fantastic pieces were unique one-offs intended to be treated
more like works of art than jewelry.
A sinister and provocative half woman/half dragonfly ornament is probably his most famous design: even today, this spectacular piece has lost none of its powi to shock. Lalique also created a number of pieces for Sarah Bernhardt, an internationally celebrated actress of the day, who was a great patron of Art Nouveau designers.
Around 1914 Lalique stopped making jewelry altogether and applied his fertile imagination to manufacturing the beautiful molded glassware for which he is possibly better known today.
A sinister and provocative half woman/half dragonfly ornament is probably his most famous design: even today, this spectacular piece has lost none of its powi to shock. Lalique also created a number of pieces for Sarah Bernhardt, an internationally celebrated actress of the day, who was a great patron of Art Nouveau designers.
Around 1914 Lalique stopped making jewelry altogether and applied his fertile imagination to manufacturing the beautiful molded glassware for which he is possibly better known today.
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| Art Nouveau Jewellery |
High-end
costume jewelry specialists including Piel Freres,
Rou/.e,
and Mascaraud in Paris rapidly capitalized on the Art Nouveau trend
and produced Art-Nouveau-style pieces for the stage and for
couturiers.
Their first-rate workmanship and designs at relatively affordable prices made "artistic"pieces more widely available, earning them praise in fashionable magazines of the period and thereby further promoting the style.
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| Art Nouveau Jewellery |
Their first-rate workmanship and designs at relatively affordable prices made "artistic"pieces more widely available, earning them praise in fashionable magazines of the period and thereby further promoting the style.
Art
Nouveau designs stood out at the world's fair held in Paris in 1900,
helping the style cross the Atlantic to the United States.
The ubiquitous image of a mysterious maiden with her flowing hair and swirling robes captured the imagination of American silver manufacturers,
The ubiquitous image of a mysterious maiden with her flowing hair and swirling robes captured the imagination of American silver manufacturers,
who
produced endless variations of this motif on silver pins and pendants
on a commercial scale.
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| Art Nouveau Jewellery |
The
largest of these firms was Gorham & Co. of Providence,
Rhode Island. Gorham's "martele" (hand-hammered) line was designed by William Codman. Nearby company Howard & Co. also produced notable jewelry, including belt buckles and pins. In Newark, New Jersey, linger Bros, created heavily chased pieces with floral or foliate motifs, while La Pierre mixed silver with novelty material such as celluloid. Other important American makers of this period include Shiebler and Kerr & Co.
Rhode Island. Gorham's "martele" (hand-hammered) line was designed by William Codman. Nearby company Howard & Co. also produced notable jewelry, including belt buckles and pins. In Newark, New Jersey, linger Bros, created heavily chased pieces with floral or foliate motifs, while La Pierre mixed silver with novelty material such as celluloid. Other important American makers of this period include Shiebler and Kerr & Co.
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