Gold

H  1.80cm (0.71 in)  |  W  2.80cm (1.10 in)

Fabulous jewel of a fabulous beast. This gold Dragon or Wyvern was sculpted for the famous French jeweler Wièse. This Wyvern is closely related to the chimera of choice for the City of London's coat of arms and whose iconic presence can be seen 'guarding the city's boundaries'
The symbolism of this brooch is as a talismanic protector against evil represented by the attacking snake.

Literature
llustrated in our book:
Beatriz Chadour-Sampson & Sonya Newell-Smith, Tadema Gallery London Jewellery from the 1860s to 1960s, Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart 2021, p. 213
cf. The Belle Epoque of French Jewellery: 1850-1910 Michael Koch, pp. 104-5 fig 23 for similar models

Ref No   8342

Sold