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Enamel Disc and Gold Necklace by Antoine Tard for Alexis Falize
| Title | Enamel Disc and Gold Necklace by Antoine Tard for Alexis Falize |
| Year | c. 1870 |
| Country | French |
| Artist | Antoine Tard for Alexis Falize |
| Material | Enamel, Gold |
Description
A French mid 19th century enamel disc and gold necklace by Falize, the plaited gold chain suspending five round disc pendants each decorated on both sides with various floral and fauna subjects including cranes, insect and a cockerel amidst flowers and leaves in polychrome cloisonné enamel.
Commentary
The discovery of Japanese art by Alexis Falize (1811-1898) inspired the creation of the cloisonné enamelled jewellery he exhibited at the Union Centrale des Beaux Arts Appliqués à l’Industrie in Paris in 1869. Not only were people impressed by the motifs of flora and fauna derived from nature and interpreted with such boldness and originality but also by Falize’s mastery of the Eastern cloisonné technique of enamelling. Fine and delicate wires soldered to the surface of the metal separated the different colour of the enamels which emerged intensified after many firings and the final polishing. The process was so expensive that only the rich could afford to buy jewels and object of this style. However, they were worn as a demonstration of admiration for the Japanese way of looking at nature which revolutionised artistic taste in Europe during the second half of the 19th century. Although the five double sided pendants seem alike, all ten plaques are different, and there is no repetition. Combining the exotic and the fantastic, these Falize creations are among the most original jewels of the period.