Silver partly gilt

H  8.20cm (3.23 in)  |  W  13.00cm (5.12 in)

This cloak clasp was designed by Ferdinand Erhart, who came from Germany, but was retailed by Maison Vever, Paris, according to the hallmarks. Little is known about his life, yet according to Rolende van Strydonck de Burkel, Le Bijou Art Nouveau en Europe, Paris 1998, p.110, it was Vever who in 1900 had discovered Erhart's talent. A further example of this buckle was also retailed through Cartier Paris, cf. Cartier 1899-1949, Le parcours d'un style, Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, colour plate 1. In the literature the dates for this buckle design vary from 1895-1908. Erhart is mainly known for his buckles in chased silver with foliage and floral motifs.e

Literature
Illustrated in our book:
Beatriz Chadour-Sampson & Sonya Newell-Smith, Tadema Gallery London Jewellery from the 1860s to 1960s, Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart 2021, p. 97
Alastair Duncan, The Paris Salons 1895-1914, Jewellery, vol. I, 1994, buckle version illustrated p.222.

Collections
Acquired by: Lalique Museum Netherlands
Examples of his work are at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Musée d'Orsay, Paris and the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.

Ref No   3638

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