18kt Brooch with Porcelain Portrait |
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Classic Revival Brooch |
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This stunning 18kt yellow gold Victorian brooch is from the Classic Revival era, circa 1870. The brooch features a beautiful navette-shaped portrait of a woman in classic-style dress. The portrait is painted on porcelain and is bezel set with a border of small gold beads. To either side of the portrait are three stylized palmettes crafted of fine twisted gold wires and small gold beads.
The middle Victorians were inspired by the past and loved Revivalist styles; including Classical, Etruscan, Egyptian and Celtic. This beautiful brooch displays several classical elements, as well as featuring a technique called "mock granulation". Granulation was a technique employed by the ancient Etruscans. During the middle Victorian era many of the jewelry designers created textures and designs by soldering twisted, rope-like wires to the surfaces of a jewel. This technique of using rope-like wires gave the illusion of true granulation and thus was called "mock granulation". Cost: $1,850 Measurements: This 18kt gold brooch is 3" long and the central portrait is 1.25" in height |
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A close up photo of the bar pin reveals the texture and design of the "mock granulation.... a series of fine gauge gold rope wires or filaments, forming the leaves and sections of each palmette. You can also see here a chevron shaped row of small gold beads at the base of each palmette, as well as a series of small gold beads within a circular rope wire along the circumferenc of the bar pin. This period in jewelry history was known for large, bold designs and texture. Many of the jewelers of this time experimented with numerous techniques to create various textures and patterns on the jewelry. |
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A close up of the hand painted porcelain reveals painstaking detail to the image of a woman holding a greek style urn. This imagery is typical of the Classic Revival era. Notice how smooth and fine the porcelain painting is; the condition is excellent. When looking for portraits such as this, make sure you examine the painting with a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe to see if there are any cracks or chips that seriously affect the value. As you can see here, our portrait is absolutely beautiful and in perfect condition. |
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The backside of this story, or should we say bar pin, is a nicely finished frame with thick rims, a heavy pin stem, a cylindrical style "C" clasp and an early hinge. All components of this exceptional bar pin are in excellent condition....a real find in today's marketplace. |
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