A MULTI-GEM AND ENAMEL BIRD BROOCH / PENDANT, GIULIANO FOR SIR EDWARD BURNE-JONES

2 More

Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more

A MULTI-GEM AND ENAMEL BIRD BROOCH / PENDANT, GIULIANO FOR SIR EDWARD BURNE-JONES

Details

A MULTI-GEM AND ENAMEL BIRD BROOCH / PENDANT, GIULIANO FOR SIR EDWARD BURNE-JONES
Circular cabochon-cut ruby, coral and turquoise, half pearls, red and green enamel, brooch and suspension loop mounted on folding bar fittings, gold, circa 1896, 4.0 cm, designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and signed C&AG in an impressed oval for Carlo and Arthur Giuliano, green velvet Giuliano case

This lot incorporates material from endangered species which could result in export restrictions.

Provenance

Formerly the property of Madeline Wyndham (1871-1941) and thence by descent.

Miss Wyndham appeared, aged sixteen, in a delicately rendered chalk portrait by Burne-Jones. She was the daughter of Mr and Mrs Percy Wyndham who were well-known in British Society at the time and were part of a social group of politicians and intellectuals known as ‘The Souls’. A similar social group evolved from the orginal referred to as ‘The Coterie’ and counted aristocrats, politicians and art-lovers amongst its members, including Sir Edward Burne-Jones.

Literature

Cf. C. Gere and G. C. Munn, Pre-Raphelite to Arts and Crafts Jewellery, Suffolk, 1996, p. 137 for a Giuliano bird brooch of near-identical design which was given to the Victoria & Albert Museum by Geoffrey and Caroline Munn. In the same publication see p. 134 for pencil designs by Burne-Jones of bird motif jewels within heart-shaped foliate surrounds which are assumed to be preliminary sketch renderings for the design that Guiliano eventually executed.

In their book, Gere and Munn intimate that the designs might perhaps have been inspired by medieval mosaics of olive trees found in Venice that Burne-Jones might have either seen in person when he visited the city in 1862, or alternatively came across as illustrated in the publication Stones of Venice, Volume III, published in 1853.

Special Notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Further Details

Brought to you by

Keith Penton

kpenton@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2526

Lot Essay

A small number of iterations of this brooch are known to exist, one of which belonged to Margaret Burne-Jones, daughter of Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and currently resides in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum (likely to be the very same jewel illustrated in the book written by Charlotte Gere and Geoffrey Munn which was given on loan for a travelling exhibition entitled Edward Burne-Jones, Victorian Artist-Dreamer from 1998-1999). Another belonged to Laura Tennant who was an acquaintance of Burne-Jones and sat as subject for many of his portraits, and a third is said to have belonged to the art critic Harry Quilter which was sold at auction in London in 1990.

More from Important Jewels

View All