By Natalie Ball
The 110 piece collection is expected to achieve around $30,000,000 and holds the most exquisite surviving examples of Art Nouveau and Art Deco design and craftsmanship. The collection is not only the largest but remains in impeccable condition with jewellery pieces by Henri Vever, Eugène Feuillâtre, Léopold Gautrait, Vican, Lucien Gaillard, Georges Fouquet, alongside 45 pieces by undisputed master Rene Lalique.
The heirs to the collection wish to remain anonymous, only recognised for their ancestors’ exceptional taste. Explaining how the collection was formed, Michel Perinet, owner of the former Galerie Michel Perinet, Paris said of the collectors, [they were] “two people who were very devoted, both to one another and to the undertaking. He was starting a collection of modern paintings, she loved jewellery…Things were easier back then. I found high-quality, even exceptional, Art Nouveau jewellery pieces and, in all modesty, I can say I bought nearly all of them. We had a simple way of doing things: I called them up, asked for a meeting and presented them the pieces. It was usually purchased on the spot.”
Key pieces from the collection include an Art Nouveau Opal And Enamel Brooch by Rene Lalique from 1900. Modelled as a life-like plum branch, the two plums are set with geometric opal panels in a mosaic technique each hand cut to exquisite precision, alongside the textured gold stems and green enamel leaves.
A serene landscape is captured in An Art Nouveau Opal, Enamel And Pearl Pendant Necklace by Georges Fouquet from 1900. The enamel river is surrounded by trees underneath an opal sky with enamel foliate and seed pearl accents. Researchers at Christies believe silver foil must have been used in the enamel to create the glistening and naturalistic look of the river, never seen before in a piece of enamel jewellery of this style.
An Important Emerald, Onyx And Diamond Pendant Necklace by Georges Fouquet from 1925 is one of the highlights of the sale. Featuring a hexagonal onyx plaque pedant set with a cabochon emerald with diamond set corners and pedant hoop, the pendant hangs elegantly from an enamel-set chain. It is said to be the collector’s favourite piece, as the family have fond memories of their mother wearing the necklace frequently, although still in perfect condition.
Four wasps rest delicately on a hawthorn branch in An Art Nouveau Enamel, Diamond And Pearl Pendant Necklace by René Lalique from 1899-1901. Depicted in enamel with diamond wings, the wasps are set on an enamel and opalescent glass branch complemented by a suspended baroque pearl.
Perinet explains his delight at the sale: “What a surprise for me, after more than forty years, to see this jewellery I bought, then proposed to this couple who had the taste, courage and vision to keep the pieces together and preserve them, though it would have been simpler for them to purchase beautiful stones and have them custom-set, or buy pieces from the major Place Vendôme jewellers. For them though, it was an expression of their shared interests.”
Explore more of the extraordinary collection and view details of the sale here.
