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History
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The
Art Nouveau design movement emerged in fin de siecle
Paris, during the final years of Victoria's reign, and
was showcased at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900.
It blossomed for a brief time into the twentieth century,
during which Queen Victoria died (1901) and Edward VII
ascended the throne. Like the concurrent Arts and Crafts
movement, Art Nouveau was based on a return to craftsmanship,
and an emphasis on design over material. |
Fashion
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Turn-of-the-century
fashion emphasized the figure with lightweight materials
and a feminine S-shaped silhouette. The soft curves, sinuous
lines and pale colors of Art Nouveau jewelry complemented
the fashion of its day. It was popularized by the patronage
of actress Sarah Bernhardt. As part of a larger stylistic
movement, however, Art Nouveau jewelry bears more relation
to the architecture, furniture and textile design, than
to the clothing, of the period.
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Jewelry
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Semi-precious
Stones:
The aesthetics of design were considered more important
than the intrinsic value of the materials. Accordingly,
semi-precious stones like moonstone, opal, amethyst, citrine,
peridot and freshwater pearls were widely used.
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Enamel:
Emphasis on the designer as artist motivated the use of
beautiful enameling techniques in jewelry, such as cloisonne
(in which gold wire forms partitions into which the enamel
is poured); champleve (in which the enamel fills
recesses cut out from the background metal; basse-taille
(in which an engraved design in the metal is covered with,
but still visible through, a transparent enamel); and
plique-a-jour (in which the backing metal is removed
from the translucent enamel after firing, resulting in
a stained glass effect).
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Non-precious
Materials:
Non-traditional jewelry materials that were popular during
this period included horn, bone, copper, shell, ivory,
and carved glass.
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Nature
Motifs:
The Victorian interest in the natural world continued
into this era. Butterflies, dragonflies, snakes, poppies,
orchids, irises and waterlilies were prevalent motifs.
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Asian
Influence:
Organic motifs were not rendered realistically, but rather
in a more stylized manner characteristic of the Asian
arts. The world had become more familiar with Asian design
from the international exhibitions of the latter nineteenth
century. Sinuous, free-flowing lines were integral design
elements.
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Symbolism:
The representation of a female head with long flowing
hair is prevalent in Art Nouveau jewelry. It was also
an important motif of the concurrent Symbolist movement
in literature and painting, which used images to present
ideas.
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Mystery/Fantasy:
Turn-of-the-century uncertainty fostered a sense of mystery
and fantasy in design. Accordingly, Art Nouveau jewelry
often features mythical hybrid forms and near-colorless
translucent stones like moonstone and opal. |
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