The \u2018t\u00eate de femme\u2019 was a popular motif in France around 1900. These ladies \u2013 combined with flowers \u2013 often symbolised themes, such as Sleep, Dream, or Desire. This dreamy example is one of the prettiest Art Nouveau girls\u2019 heads. The large silver, ruby, and natural pearl pendant is called Modesty and is signed: Beaudouin, Paris (Antoine Beaudouin). The lady in this pendant has downcast eyes and is surrounded by violets (Viola Odorata); the stylized hair framing her face also determines the contours of the pendant. Violets stand for modesty as well as romantic love, Paris, circa 1909.<\/p>\n
weight pendant: 26 grams
\nweight pendant and chain: 86.3 gram
\ndimensions pendant: 9 x 5 cm.<\/p>\n
Other versions of the same design are known. For instance, a lovely gold brooch with an enamelled face and diamonds instead of cabochon cut rubies is in the Schmuckmuseum in Pforzheim (inv. no. KV 1404). It bears the maker\u2019s marks of both Antoine Beaudouin (AB around a shield) and Georges Le Sach\u00e9 (LS around a thread). Le Sach\u00e9 was one of the most famous goldsmiths active around 1900 and also worked for Lucien Falize.<\/p>\n
That the gold Phorzheim Modesty bears more than one maker\u2019s mark is exceptional and suggests that Le Sach\u00e9 did not execute this brooch alone. Beaudouin not only must have designed Modesty but also have had a hand in its execution. The silver Modesty pendant is one of Beaudouin\u2019s few fully signed jewels. It has no maker\u2019s mark, so we do not know whether Beaudouin crafted it, or if Le Sach\u00e9 made it for him.<\/p>\n
Literature: Martijn Akkerman, \u2018De \u201cModestie\u201d broche, een belangrijk juweel van de Parijse Art Nouveau goudsmid-juwelier Antoine Beaudouin\u2019, in: Antiek, 4, November 1986, pp. 210-215.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The \u2018t\u00eate de femme\u2019 was a popular motif in France around 1900. These ladies \u2013 combined with flowers \u2013 often symbolised themes, such as Sleep, Dream, or Desire. This dreamy example is one of the prettiest Art Nouveau girls\u2019 heads. The large silver, ruby, and natural pearl pendant is called Modesty and is signed: Beaudouin, […]\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2694,"template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[28,31,345],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8513","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-archive","7":"product_cat-necklaces-pendants","8":"product_cat-sold","9":"pa_maker-antoine-beaudouin-en","10":"pa_period-art-nouveau-en","11":"pa_pricerange-e-10000-e-20000","13":"first","14":"instock","15":"product-type-simple"},"yoast_head":"\n