Antique Rhodolite and Pearl Art Nouveau Pendant in Gold, c. 1900

At the turn of the 20th century, the contemporaries were aware that they would become part of a new era. The upheavals and innovations of the 19th century had been so radical, and human life had changed so profoundly, that even traditional forms and ornaments no longer seemed appropriate. But what should contemporary art look like? Classical modernism's answer to this was to dispense with all ornamentation. Art Nouveau, however, attempted to bring art into the present through new forms. One source of inspiration was nature: plants, birds and even the flowing hair of beautiful women inspired the designers. At the same time, however, the natural forms were not copied from nature and merely reproduced in the sense of realism. They became art by being graphically abstracted. This can be clearly seen in one of the particularly typical forms of the time, the whiplash ornament. The nickname came from a wall hanging from 1895 designed by Hermann Obrist and executed by Berthe Ruchet, which shows golden embroidered cyclamen on a green-blue background. It is now in the Munich City Museum, Inv. No. T-49/63, see also our illustration. The lines of this violet were so unusually dynamically curved and abstracted that an enthusiastic review from the modern art magazine Pan stated: "This frenzied movement appears to us like the abrupt, violent twists of the cord when a whip cracks." (Georg Fuchs: Hermann Obrist, in: Pan, February/March 1896, pp. 319-326, here p. 323). The present pendant shows these two sides of the new style, the inspiration of nature and abstraction. Its basic form is made up of dynamic, curved lines, which are also the moving stems and leaves of a rare plant: Two flowers made of luminous rhodolite, a purple-red garnet, complete the composition. A pearl is attached at the bottom. Every time you look at it, you have to decide anew: Is it a reproduction of nature or a graphic idea that underlies the design? The pendant is made from high-carat gold with an additional layer of fine gold and has a soft, velvety shimmer. The pendant loop has probably been renewed and the pearl is certainly a modern addition. However, the overall impression is still harmonious: It is a warm, summery glow - the summer of a time that looked optimistically to the future.

Schätzpreis:€1,290

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