Rare Antique Bangle With Lapis Lazuli Cameo & Enamel in Gold, Circa 1870

Once Around the World

Rare Antique Bangle With Lapis Lazuli Cameo & Enamel in Gold, Circa 1870

€ 6,980.00 ^*

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 bangle left us in awe. The gold bangle features a series of finely crafted enamel depictions from an exotic faraway land. Men carry a ruler in a palanquin, others sit under large parasols. Palm trees sprout and exotic flowers proliferate, all colourfully enameled, against a blue background of translucent enamel against an engraved ground. In the center, as a climax, the depiction returns to Europe: here we see a putto, cut from lapis lazuli, describing an ancient altar or gravestone: A helmet lies on top. Is it the tomb of a hero? The design combines a continuous, equally wide hoop with an oval decorative element. Acanthus leaves frame all parts and mediate between the two forms. Bracelets in this shape, often with a cameo as the highlight, were fashionable in the second half of the 19th century. The colour harmony of gold and the intense, dreamlike blue of lapis lazuli also fits in with this period, or more precisely: the 1860s and 1870s. And indeed, the relaxed, thoroughly curious way in which forms and cultural influences are combined here takes us back to precisely this period. The late 19th century was a time when knowledge of other cultures reached broad sections of the European population to an extent never seen before. The great world exhibitions in London in 1876 and Vienna in 1873 brought many people into contact with products from the Far East for the first time. China, Japan, Persia and Egypt were among those exhibiting in Vienna. The numerous surviving photographs in the exhibition show how the vases, furniture, pieces of jewellery, works of art and industrial artefacts on display formed a never-ending round dance that left visitors amazed and, presumably, overwhelmed. The Wien Museum, for example, presents a beautiful collection online, see here. The many different styles that can be observed in the jewellery of those years owe much to the experience of the world exhibitions. The results of these mixtures, the eclecticism of the time, were often criticized in later years as being overloaded, not historically correct or simply too fanciful. In the case of this bangle, however, the casual combination of East Asian motifs and memories of classical antiquity results in a rococo-like, light new creation. Something new and unique that does nothing less than delight and bring a smile to the face.

Learn more

Lapis Lazuli has been valued for its unique color since ancient times. The stone, which has been mined in the mountains of Afghanistan since ancient times, is not only used for jewellery, but is just as often ground up and used as a precious pigment for painting. Artists such as Giotto and Michelangelo used lapis lazuli for their incomparable masterpieces, whose blue inspires with its fresh luminosity centuries later. In his famous book "The Reality of Images. Painting and Experience in Renaissance Italy", Michael Baxandall described how in Renaissance Florence, artists and clients had detailed contracts drawn up specifying how much lapis pigment was to be used for the Madonna's mantle in a fresco, for example. As the pigment was so extraordinarily expensive, its purchase represented a large part of the expenditure for the work, sometimes costing more than the artist received for his work. The colour came to Europe mainly via Venice, where it was known as "azurro ultramarine" - "the blue from beyond the sea". Even today, the name ultramarine blue is derived from this term.

Learn more

Size & Details

Once Around the World

€ 6,980.00 ^*

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.

Learn more

Once Around the World

Bracelets & Bangles

Privacy settings