Antique Gold Pendant with garnets and rose cut diamonds, c. 1900

Art Forms in Nature

Antique Gold Pendant with garnets and rose cut diamonds, c. 1900

€ 980.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

This unusual pendant was created c. 1900. It combines matte yellow gold with a red, triangularly cut garnet at its center. The garnet is set within a three-lobed, openwork arch, the outer points of which are set with rose cut diamonds. The design, centered around a defined midpoint, is reminiscent of ideas that may have been influenced by Haeckel’s "Art Forms in Nature", as are so many pieces of German Art Nouveau. As our final image, we present a plate from Haeckel’s work, published between 1899 and 1904, which illustrates diatoms—the “Schachtellinge”—whose three-rayed natural forms may have served as inspiration here. With its elegant design, the pendant reflects the particular desire for ornamental design c. 1900. Less angular than the Austrian style of the time and free from the preference for asymmetry favored by artists in France and Belgium, this piece can be clearly dated stylistically to Germany c. 1900. With a new gold chain, the pendant—which came to us from Lake Constance—is ready to wear immediately.

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Between 1899 and 1904, five issues were published under the title Art Forms in Nature, in which the German zoologist Ernst Haeckel made his research on the forms of animals available to a wider audience. Haeckel’s approach—to depict the natural beauty of often previously unknown organisms, created without human intervention—sparked widespread enthusiasm for the microstructures of nature, which were being revealed for the first time in these publications. Haeckel presented and arranged the organisms in question on numerous display panels according to aesthetic criteria, focusing his interest on the structural forms of living beings visible under the microscope, which often appeared to him like the artistic works of engineers or architects. In the preface, Haeckel himself recommended his work to the artists of his time as a source of inspiration: “Modern fine art and the modern applied arts, which have flourished mightily, will find in these true ‘art forms of nature’ a rich abundance of new and beautiful motifs.” (Leipzig edition, 1904, p. 4) The large-format, color lithographic plates illustrating the structure of various living organisms—especially marine radiolarians—influenced not only science but also artistic creation at the beginning of the 20th century. Haeckel’s work inspired the arts and crafts movement of those years to such an extent that his “art forms of nature” literally became natural forms in art, manifesting themselves as architectural designs, reliefs on silverware, or even as exquisite goldsmith works. Famous examples of Haeckel’s direct influence include the glass chandeliers at the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco by Constant Roux and the monumental gate to the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris by René Binet.

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Size & Details

Art Forms in Nature

€ 980.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

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.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.

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Art Forms in Nature

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