VEVER, Henri
(b. 1854, Metz, d. 1942, Eure)

Sylvia (pendant)

c. 1900
Gold, agate, rubies, diamonds, enamel, height 12 cm
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris

In 1924, Henri Vever offered his entire collection of 19th-century French jewellery to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. More than 350 pieces from the First Empire to Art Nouveau - of which 60 were made by the Maison Vever itself - represented the crème de la crème of great jewelers such as Morel, Froment-Meurice, Fontenay, Falize, Boucheron, Beaugrand, Wiese and Lalique. Highly representative of the excellence of French jewellery of his time, his collection is the most relevant part of the Galerie des Bijoux collection.

Vever's Sylvia pendant, a spectacular 12 cm high piece, is one of the most famous pieces showcased at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris, winning a Grand Prix. The arabesques and hybridization between the insect and the female figure are typical of the Art Nouveau aesthetic.




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