Naturalistic, Exotic, Flowing Lines, Curves, Fanciful Women, Sinewy, Sensual, Sexual, Scandalous, Colored Gemstones, Enamel and Asymmetry all defined the Art Nouveau movement.
How Art Nouveau Jewelry Started
The Art Nouveau movement started in France beginning around 1890 to 1895, encompassing the decorative arts as well as jewelry. Usually, when we talk about a style of jewelry it is associated with a time frame involving reigning monarchs or a particular decade. However, Art Nouveau jewelry was an artistic movement that started as a backlash to the machinated world of the Industrial Age. Artists caught up in the movement made jewelry by hand with careful attention to details, believing that design was more important than materials used. Art Nouveau designs were influenced by the Arts & Crafts Movement in England, Japanese art and the Symbolist Movement that started in France but spread through Europe and other parts of the world.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, much of the jewelry was formal and gem intensive. Diamonds, pearls and platinum were the height of fashion in a very affluent society, with people wanting to show their wealth through the jewelry they wore. Art Nouveau was the opposite. It was about design over materials, and to some extent it changed the meaning of what’s precious by using materials such as bone, horn, or glass in designs. It was a mutiny against the idea that jewelry should only be valued for the gems. Diamonds and colored gemstones were used in Art Nouveau jewelry, but as accents not usually as the focus of the design.
Enamel In Art Nouveau Jewelry
Enamel was very important in Art Nouveau jewelry with Plique-à-Jour and Guilloche enamels used the most. Plique-à-Jour, French for letting in daylight, is a transparent enamel that requires a high level of skill to create. The enamel is placed into the openings of filigree metalwork, but there is no metal behind the enamel. The finished effect is often compared to stained glass due to the enamel’s transparency. Guilloche is a type of metal work that engraves an intricate, repetitive pattern into a metal which is then “painted” with a thin layer of enamel so that the pattern remains visible. Both enameling techniques allowed for large areas of pastel color on a piece. Enamel is quite fragile and consequently many pieces of Art Nouveau jewelry have not survived because they broke or were damaged.
Art Nouveau and the Female Form
Art Nouveau, from a design point-of-view focused on the female form. Women’s hair and the curves of the female body were important motifs in Art Nouveau jewelry. Women were depicted two ways, either as a Madonna, almost a holy being, or as a screaming banshee, sometimes sensual and seductive, or sometimes a little sinister and dangerous. These two archetypes were reflective of women’s changing role in society. Women were marching in the streets for the right to vote and many were seeking opportunities outside of the home, both of which were threatening to the status quo.
Fairies, nymphs, mermaids and maidens, nude or partially covered by their hair, cavort on Art Nouveau jewelry, which totally scandalized the more straitlaced aristocracy and wealthy society ladies, who thought the jewelry was too radical and outrageous to wear. Instead the jewelry was worn by the artists themselves, other artists, free thinkers and bohemians, which in that era meant being a supporter of the arts. Actress Sarah Bernhardt, for example, was known for wearing Art Nouveau jewelry.
Art Nouveau Celebrates Nature
Nature was another central theme in Art Nouveau jewelry. Vines, exotic florals, and leaves were important themes in Art Nouveau designs. Dragonfies and butterflies as well as other insects, often with beautifully rendered plique-à-Jour enamel wings, were also widespread. As people moved from rural areas to cities to find work, the jewelry was a reminder of nature’s beauty and a message to stay connected to its nurturing presence.
The Art Nouveau movement was only in place for a short, but impactful, time. It brought attention to jewelry design as an art form, but like everything else in that time period, it abruptly ended with the start of World War I.
Top of Page: Art Nouveau diamond, opal, pearl, enamel and gold pendant, signed Rene Lalique, circa 1901, courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art, WikiCommons.
Art Nouveau diamond, ruby, emerald, enamel and 18-karat gold brooch; Diamond, ruby, emerald, imperial topaz, bone, silver and gold Art Nouveau brooch, signed Paul Frey;
Art Nouveau plique- à -jour enamel and 18-karat gold Virgin Mary pendant, circa 1900; Natural pearl, plique- à -jour enamel and 18-karat gold Art Nouveau pendant, signed Rene Foy, this Pendant was Exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of 1900. French Circa 1898-1899, it is Illustrated in the Books of Paris Exhibitions by Alastair Duncan.
Authored by Amber Michelle