Ivory Portrait Cameo Brooch Signed A. v. Dongen in Gold, c.1900 1900

Unknown artist

BoneIvoryCameo
€ 4.500

Adin Fine Antique Jewellery

• About the artwork

  This late Victorian to early Art Nouveau brooch shows an ivory cameo of unusually fine quality. The low relief is carved with crisp definition, yet carries the gentle, dreamy mood so typical of early twentieth-century portrait work. Set in warm gold and signed “A. v. Dongen”, it offers the quiet pleasure of studying craftsmanship where every delicate curve rewards a closer look.

  Jewellery Type
  brooch
  
  Condition
  very good condition
  more info on our condition scale
  
  Country of origin
  unknown
  
  Style
  Between Victorian and Art Nouveau - Victorian decorative arts refers to the style of decorative arts during the Victorian era. The Victorian era is known for its eclectic revival and interpretation of historic styles and the introduction ofcross-cultural influences from the middle east and Asia in furniture, fittings, and Interior decoration. Victorian design is widely viewed as having indulged in a regrettable excess of ornament.
  
  The Arts and Crafts movement, the aesthetic movement, Anglo-Japanese style, and Art Nouveau style have their beginnings in the late Victorian era. Art Nouveau (French for New Style) is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied ar - especially the decorative arts - that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century (1890–1905).
  
  The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art". It is also known as “Jugendstil”, German for "youth style", named after the magazine Jugend, which promoted it, and in Italy, Stile Liberty from the department store in London, Liberty & Co., whichpopularised the style. A reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it is characterized by organic, especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly stylized, flowing curvilinear forms.
  
  Art Nouveau is an approach to design according to which artists should work on everything from architecture to furniture, making art part of everyday life.
  See also: late-Victorian, early Art Nouveau, eclecticism
  more info on styles
  
  Style specifics
  Late Victorian / early Art Nouveau - The subject of this piece, although typical 19th Century, announces the coming of the Art Nouveau style.
  
  Period
  ca. 1900
  Events & facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era.
  
  Theme
  young child's face
  
  Material 14K
  yellow gold (touchstone tested)
  more info on precious metals
  
  Important note
  This piece contains antique ivory and can therefore only be shipped within the European Community under current regulations.
  
  Technique
  Cameo is a method of carving, or an item of jewellery or vessel made in this manner. It features a raised (positive) relief image. There are three main materials for Cameo carving; Shells or Agate (called a Hardstone cameo), and glass. Cameos can beproduced by setting a carved relief, such as a portrait, onto a background of a contrasting colour. This is called an assembled cameo. Alternately, a cameo can be carved directly out of a material with integral layers or banding, such as (banded) agateor layered glass, where different layers have different colours. Sometimes dyes are used to enhance these colours. Cameos are often worn as jewellery. Stone cameos of great artistry were made in Greece dating back as far as the 6th century BC. They werevery popular in Ancient Rome, and one of the most famous stone cameos from this period is the Gemma Claudia made for the Emperor Claudius. The technique has since enjoyed periodic revivals, notably in the early Renaissance, and again in the 17th, 18thand 19th centuries.
  
  Extra information
  The child’s features show no correspondence with any documented child portraits from Western royal families of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and no match was found in the known imagery from that period. The signature “A. v. Dongen”is not associated with royal commissions, and there is no archival link to any court artist. Portrait cameos of children were common personal keepsakes among affluent families, making it most likely a privately commissioned portrait of a non-royal child.
  
  Signature
  "A. v. Dongen" an otherwise unidentified artist with a Dutch surname.
  
  Hallmarks
  No trace.
  more info on hallmarks
  
  Dimensions
  as pendant 5,60 cm (2,20 inch) x 4,20 cm (1,65 inch), as brooch 4,85 x 4,20 cm (1,65 inch)
  see picture with a ruler in millimeters and inches
  
  Weight
  17,40 gram (11,19 dwt)
  
  Adin Reference Nº
  25321-0183
  
  Copyright photography
  Adin, fine antique jewellery
  
  

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• About the artist

  It might happen that an artist or maker is unknown.

  Some works are not to be determined by whom it is made or it is made by (a group of) craftsmen. Examples are statues from the Ancient Time, furniture, mirroirs, or signatures that are not clear or readible but as well some works are not signed at all.

  As well you can find the following description:

  •“Attributed to ….” In their opinion probably a work by the artist, at least in part

  •“Studio of ….” or “Workshop of” In their opinion a work executed in the studio or workshop of the artist, possibly under his supervision

  •“Circle of ….” In their opinion a work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil

  •“Style of ….” or “Follower of ….” In their opinion a work executed in the artist’s style but not necessarily by a pupil; may be contemporary or nearly contemporary

  •“Manner of ….” In their opinion a work in the style of the artist but of a later date

  •“After ….” In their opinion a copy (of any date) of a work of the artist

  •“Signed…”, “Dated….” or “Inscribed” In their opinion the work has been signed/dated/inscribed by the artist. The addition of a question mark indicates an element of doubt

  •"With signature ….”, “With date ….”, “With inscription….” or “Bears signature/date/inscription” in their opinion the signature/ date/ inscription has been added by someone other than the artist

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