Arts & Crafts Era Brooch with Watercolor Miniature
in 14k Gold & Sterling Silver
$ 950.00
* * SOLD * *



An Arts & Crafts era brooch, imagined as a picture frame, with a 14k gold face, and a sterling silver back. This elegant rectangular frame is gathered at the north, south, east, and west, where it is embellished with notched, clip-like forms. The frames clipped corners are lightly dapped, to add dimensionality. Secure beneath the frame's softly-beveled crystal, a hand-painted watercolor miniature depicts a pair of lovers, in Georgian dress, reading together from a book. They recline beneath a tree . . . a house sits in the background . . . the woman wears a playful, challenging expression, while the man looks up at her, with a question. This watercolor is especially charming for its color palate (pink, blue, green, lavender, ochre), which is soft but vibrant. We love the frame itself for its sophisticated lines and construction— it is entirely hand-fabricated. The closure is a trombone clasp.
This brooch is marked with a tiny French discharge stamp (neanderthal head facing right), and with an obscure oval cartouche. The miniature is signed C Mangele.
Materials
14k gold
Silver
Hand-painted miniature
Age
c. 1890 - 1900
Dimensions
Brooch measures approx 1 1/2" x 1 1/4".








