Description
This is a wonderful, wonderful find with what I can only describe as “sublime” Jugendstil / Art Nouveau design from the c1900 era in Pforzheim, Germany.
It is twice as large in size as other Meyle & Mayer brooches I have come across before…. I certainly have not come across such a strikingly large piece like this in the past.
If you consider the aesthetics of the Art Nouveau designs of the c1900 era, then this brooch sings them out loud. That bright, lively shimmering green enamel is a perfect foil to the sinuous and generous silver lines of the flowers and leaves. It is a beautiful piece , worthy of its place in a Museum. There is little enamel damage, surprising when you consider the large proportions of the brooch at approx 6.5cm wide by 4.4cm in height. If you collect AN pieces, then surely this would be a main player in your collection. Antique enamel is fragile and it would be remiss of me not to emphasise that this large brooch may be better served being exhibited rather than worn.
In the c1900 era, Meyle & Mayer were creating beautiful Art Nouveau designs, particularly inspired by flowers and plants as well as by maidens with long hair. I have taken an image from the wonderful book by Fritz Falk (Art Nouveau Jewellery from Pforzheim) so that you can see similar pieces. When M&M enamel brooches have come up in the past, they have usually been sold by high end galleries such as the Tadema Gallery in London.
There has been a catch replacement and perhaps, this would have been stamped with the maker’s mark. However, firmly attributed to M & M ….you can sense it absolutely in the design and execution of the piece. Some silver solder visible on the verso from a historic repair most likely. There has also been a safety chain added at some point in the distant past. There is patina (especially to the verso), and this would polish further if desired.
Truly a glorious find of statement proportions and encapsulating comprehensively the design ideals of the Jugendstil movement c1900.
Ref:dmu
