Gold Plique-à-jour enamel Diamond

H  2.50cm (0.98 in)  |  W  19.00cm (7.48 in)

A rare & exquisite Japonisme bracelet circa 1900, by one of the leading Parisienne Art Nouveau designers & jewellers Lucien Gaillard (1861-1933). The articulated gold band composed of plique a jour & translucent enamel panels of trailing blossom, the flower heads set with diamonds. Lucien, the son of goldsmith Ernest Gaillard, was already fascinated with Japanese fine & applied arts, when he began training in his father's firm in 1878, which he took over in 1892. From 1900, not content with traditional European techniques, Gaillard, bought over Japanese craftsmen from Tokyo to his new Paris atelier, enabling him to achieve his quest for the Japanese aesthetic. He was awarded a gold medal at the 1889 Paris World Exhibition & a Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris World Exhibition. From 1901-1909 he won awards at the Salons of the Societe des Artistes Francaise. This particular bracelet shows Gaillard's skill in fusing the quintessence of Japan - Spring blossom delicacy & love of the ephemeral into a European jewel. As there is no Japanese jewellery, in the Western sense, Gaillard has been inspired by Shibayama inlay & the ubiquitous folding screen, producing one of the finest examples of French Japonisme.

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, cat. no. 464
The Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair, 2000, Handbook, Published in association with Harpers & Queen, Silver, Jewellery & Objects of Vertu, Tadema Gallery, Stand 21, illustrated p. 261.
Art Nouveau Jewellery, Arnoldsche & Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim 1999, p.64-78 about Gaillard

Ref No   3303

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