Our Fathers' Works

Elaborate Holbein Style Brooch with Enamel Miniature, circa 1880

€ 590.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Elaborate Holbein Style Brooch with Enamel Miniature, circa 1880

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 the years around 1870, the classical forms of the Renaissance came back into fashion. Encouraged by major exhibitions such as "Unserer Väter Werke" (Our Fathers' Works) in Munich in 1876, which featured works of art from the 15th and 16th centuries, jewellery designers in the newly founded German Empire enthusiastically drew on these historical models. This style of the so-called "Dürer period" was intended to help create a new national artistic identity, with which one also wanted to distinguish oneself from the supposed enemy France. Jewellery in the so-called 'Old German style' – referred to as Holbein style in English-speaking countries – is characterized by the use of renaissance motifs such as scrollwork and leaf ornaments, as well as often by elaborate, colourful enameling. After the Franco-Prussian War, the Renaissance was understood as a genuinely German style, the forms of which were subsequently found not only in the architecture of the period. The ladies of society also confidently adorned themselves with jewellery in the style of the Dürer period. The brooch presented here, dating from around 1880, belongs to this style. In its center it presents an enamel painting depicting a proud burgher's wife in splendid garb of the 16th century. Her hair is richly decorated and she wears a cap, which also corresponds to the design of her garment. An elaborate polychrome enameled setting of gold holds the painting. Small sapphires and diamonds are found on it, complementing the luster of the enamel work. To the left and right of the oval portrait, small arches mediate between the shapes of the setting and those of the golden bar on which it rests. Wonderfully preserved, here is a particularly fine piece of jewelry that exemplifies the Neo-Renaissance style so popular in the 19th century. The brooch found its way to us from the Rhineland.

Size & Details

Our Fathers' Works

€ 590.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

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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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