Antique Renaissance Revival Art Nouveau Art Deco pendant. 18k yellow gold, diamonds, a tiny amount of platinum, enamel and carved cameo. Made in Barcelona, Spain, early 20th century.
Measurements:
Weight is 10.6 grams. 2 5/8 inches (6.8cm) long.
Description :
6-sided pendant suspended from a sturdy, generous bale. Elongated and curved. A wide border of richly modelled openwork foliage. Gold granulation subtly leads the eye from the bale down, along the curved side. Foliage is gently colored in naturalistic shades reminiscent of autumn (fall) with light greens and reds, but the predominant color is the original gold. Additional highlights are diamond details, set in platinum.
The center in the shape of a truncated oval. A transparent mottled brown and gold window with a carving of a woman seen in profile in front. She is clearly Renaissance-inspired as seen by her hair and flowing garments. Could she be a Rafael or Da Vinci model seen in profile? Lovely detail.
Marks and Metal:
Not marked. Gold used in Spain is at least 18k and electronic tester confirmed at least this purity. White metal tested as platinum.
Condition:
Good with negligible wear commensurate with age. Please see enlarged pictures and don't hesitate to ask questions which we will do our best to answer.
THE STORY:
Not much has been written about Fuset Y Grau, an amazing jewellery manufacturer in Barcelona, Spain and contemporaries of Lluis Masriera.
Like Masriera, Fuset y Grau were fascinated by the medieval and Renaissance eras and made Revival jewelry in these styles, simultaneously reflecting the Art Nouveau movement and later Art Deco and other periods. The company was sometimes Fuset alone, sometimes with Grau and/or others. Like Masriera, many pieces are un-signed, but their style and quality are so distinctive that a signature is quite unnecessary to recognise their work.
Many pendants feature long-haired women with flowing locks surrounded by plique a jour or other transparent materials. Much jewelry featured Madonnas, a common subject with Renaissance jewels. These figures are almost always surrounded by wonderfully rich organic botanic mounts, gently colored in enamel washes and highlighted in the best instances with gems.
In 1925 Fuset y Grau were invited to participate in the Paris world fair, where they had much success.
This pendant and the work of both Masriera and Fuset y Grau reflect two traits of Barcelona jewelry: it is highly ornamental with beautiful and rich detail; religion, especially Madonnas, was a popular subject (despite their claim not to be religious people).
NOTE:
gold chain used to show pendant on model is not included with the item.
