An extraordinary late-Victorian antique micromosaic brooch featuring Forget-Me-Not flowers and enamel stars set within an intricate rolled gold setting. The craftmanship of this rare brooch is unusually fine. Due to the shape of this brooch, it may also be hung from a chain (see last image).
C-clasp.
The Forget-Me-Not flower has been a meaningful symbol in jewelry for centuries, symbolising true love, devotion, and faithfulness.
Micromosaics are a type of mosaic created from tiny fragments of glass, called tesserae. The tesserae are mosaic pieces made from an opaque vitreous glass or enamel in a multitude of colors called smalto. The smalto is pulled into rods or threads, called filati (spun enamel), and then left to cool. After cooling, it is cut into hundreds of minute cubes or tesserae and arranged on a copper or gold tray to create a scene, portrait, or landscape. During the mid-nineteenth century, black Belgian marble or “Noir Belge” was carved out and used as the background or base.
The metal or stone supports are then filled with mastic or cement upon which the tesserae are carefully placed and arranged into the desired image. Once the mastic has hardened, the gaps between the tesserae are filled with colored wax and the whole picture is polished to achieve a smooth and even surface.
It is an extremely laborious and painstaking art form. The mosaicist uses tweezers to apply hundreds, sometimes thousands, of tiny tesserae to create incredibly detailed and beautiful scenes. These mosaics could be fairly large panels or plaques inset on table tops or mounted on the wall, but more commonly they were made into much smaller oval or circular plaques that were worn as jewelry, incorporated into pendants, necklaces, earrings, brooches, and rings. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, these plaques were often made in Rome, and exported to London or Paris where they were mounted in jewelry.
MATERIAL:
Enamel, Gilt Brass
AGE:
Late 1800s
CONDITION:
Very good – surface wear commensurate with age and use
SIZE:
3.5 cm x 3.5 cm
WEIGHT:
7.89g
Please read descriptions and inspect photos carefully, paying careful attention to size and weight. Due to the age of antique and vintage jewelry, minor abrasions and wear of finishes is normal and appreciated. All items have been tested to be in working/usable condition unless otherwise stated. Please take care to understand safe cleaning methods for each type of gem and metal. Jewelry pieces are carefully wrapped and shipped in an elegant black box. Antique boxes in photos are for illustrative purposes only.
