A Jewel Fit for Salome

Antique Gold Snake Bangle for the Upper Arm, Great Britain c. 1920


€ 2,490.00 *
Content 1 piece
Incl. VAT, Shipping
Antique Gold Snake Bangle for the Upper Arm, Great Britain c. 1920
Antique Gold Snake Bangle for the Upper Arm, Great Britain c. 1920
Description
This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!
Self-determined female figures such as Medea, Salome or Circe, whose sensuality seemed threatening to men at the turn of the century, were one of the great themes of art in the late 19th century and at the turn of the century and continued to fascinate contemporaries right up until the interwar period. The many stage productions with their opulent costumes also brought some fashion trends into real life, in line with Oscar Wilde's credo "life imitates art". One of these fashions was the upper arm band. This fashion was probably set in motion by the international productions of Richard Strauss' Salome, based on Oscar Wilde's drama of the same name. Although the German version premiered in 1905, it was not retranslated into French until 1909 and thus also found favor on the international stage - and even caused scandals due to the revealing role of Salome! Salome was adorned as one would imagine an oriental princess of antiquity to be: With snake hoops on her arms. A photo of the soprano Aino Ackté as Salome from 1910 shows her with similar jewellery. The upper arm bracelet was therefore the jewellery of choice for the femme fatale of antiquity. Theda Bara wore it as Cleopatra in 1917. Brigitte Helm, the star of Fritz Lang's Metropolis, also wore large bracelets around her wrists and arms in the 1932 adventure film The Lady of Atlantis. Her entire body appears golden, as befits the ruler of the legendary ancient city. With this bracelet, the fashion-conscious lady of society could also present herself as the queen of antiquity. A snake made of reddish gold wraps itself around the upper arm. Its eyes stand out vividly and the head and the base of the body are engraved with fine scales. We were able to discover this beautiful piece of jewelry in London, and the hallmarks indicate that it was made in Great Britain.
Read more
Size & Details
Antique Gold Snake Bangle for the Upper Arm, Great Britain c. 1920
A Jewel Fit for Salome
€ 2,490.00 *
Content 1 piece
Incl. VAT, Shipping
Our Promise
Our Promise
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.

Learn more