The Forbidden Fruit

Antique Dragon Brooch with Diamonds in Solid Gold, c. 1900


€ 3,490.00 *
Content 1 piece
Incl. VAT, Shipping
Antique Dragon Brooch with Diamonds in Solid Gold, c. 1900
Antique Dragon Brooch with Diamonds in Solid Gold, c. 1900
Description
This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!
"In brooches, dragon shapes are frequently met with. One, for instance, exhibits a dragon whose body is inside of a ring. The dragon seizes the ring so that its head reaches over it, the spread wings likewise protruding a little. ... The tail disappears behind a little blossom which develops from a branch of the ring at the right, while at the left of the ring a narrow leaf is seen and a ball below. The dragon's eye consists of a reddish stone and the body displays a number of false brilliants." This is how the correspondent of Jeweler's Circular described one of the latest Parisian jewellery fashions in the summer of 1899. It is almost as if he were describing our dragon brooch: if ours were not set with real diamonds, as befits the heavy piece made of high-carat gold. This luxurious piece weighs over 15 grams. The design of the dragon is in no way inferior to this luxury: even the back is engraved with scales and feathers. We encounter dragons again and again in fin de siècle jewellery, and we are tempted to equate them with the serpent, which was also a major theme of that era grappling with sin and sensuality. Thus our dragon, writhing between green branches, also carries a large, fine diamond in its mouth, as if offering the forbidden fruit. In fact, contemporaries may have understood the motif in this way - even if it actually found its way into the jewellery in a different context. Several years earlier, the dragon had already been taken up as a jewelry motif during the Neo-Renaissance. The formal world of this style was inspired by the so-called grotesques of the Renaissance, i.e. engravings depicting all kinds of mythical creatures. This luxurious piece of jewellery is in very good condition. A wonderful accessory and small work of art that inspires the imagination! The quotation from [Anon.], 'Latest Fashions in Paris', The Jewelers' Circular, July 26, 1899, pp. 7-8.
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Size & Details
Antique Dragon Brooch with Diamonds in Solid Gold, c. 1900
The Forbidden Fruit
€ 3,490.00 *
Content 1 piece
Incl. VAT, Shipping
Our Promise
Our Promise
Our Promise

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You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

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