Preserving the past

Exquisite locket with hardstone cameo in gold, Paris around 1870

€ 3,690.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Exquisite locket with hardstone cameo in gold, Paris around 1870

Description

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

The European culture of the 19th century was characterized by a cult of friendship and sentiment, a circumstance also evident in the field of jewellery. People exchanged locks of hair, which they carried in the form of jewellery, and attributed sentimental meanings to certain gemstones and jewellery motifs. Around 1870, the locket in particular became a favorite, as it could be used to safely store photos, locks of hair and letters. Depending on taste and personal wealth, the jewelers and goldsmiths of those years made very different pieces from tombac, silver or gold. The present locket is particularly elaborate and can be worn as a brooch as well as a pendant. A high-karat, solid gold frame is set with shimmering creamy-white natural pearls and accented at regular intervals by higher-set pearls in black enameled settings. At the center of the design is an intricately cut, detailed hardstone cameo, on the back of which the personal gem can be stored behind glass. Cameos were very popular throughout the 19th century, mostly depicting mythological figures or ancient deities. In the last third of the century, portraits of beautiful women dressed or coiffed in historical styles were increasingly found. People looked back to the past, seeking continuity and inspiration in equal measure. Especially for the locket, whose task it is to preserve memories, this seems appropriate. The young lady, presented here in classical profile, wears a luxuriant curly hairstyle with a puffed dress, as they were popular in 1780 and are familiar to us from the informal portraits of the late Ancien Régime. The fact that we see no necklace or earrings also corresponds to the staged naturalness that had become a dreamed-of ideal in those years, as it was in Marie Antoinette's time - and was in stark contrast to the reality of life for most women of the time. The beautiful locket is very well preserved. While the hardstone was probably cut in Idar-Oberstein, the goldsmith's work was subsequently made in Paris, as evidenced by the hallmarking.

Size & Details

Preserving the past

€ 3,690.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

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Preserving the past

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