Recently acquired in our buying trip to Paris....
This superb French Victorian Art Nouveau Bronze repousse compact with an Art Nouveau Woman motif is simply dripping with Romance!!!
Her Flowing Tresses and the abundant Morning Glories are so indicative to this period.
The raised detail cannot be appreciated in the attached photos, it is superb.
It was originally suspended on a Chatelaine. See below for details)
The compact has been made into a pendant on antique French Crystals which are faceted and have Filigree bead caps, finished with Rollo chain, simply stunning.
Truly a One of a Kind find with a very French demeanor!
Neckalce measures a generous 32" long, compact is 1.5" in diameter.
Would make a great Pill box. Original Mirror is present.
Chatelaine is a decorative belt hook or clasp worn at the waist with a series of chains suspended from it. Each chain is mounted with a useful household appendage such as scissors, thimble, watch, key, vinaigrette, household seal, etc.
Chatelaines were worn by many housekeepers in the 19th century. They were also worn by Anglo Saxon women, as seen from the burial record.
The name chatelaine derives from the French term châtelaine used to mean the female owner, or wife of the owner, of a large house. Originally the chatelaine was designed to have all the tools necessary for the woman of the household to sort out any problem she may encounter in her day, like a fraying curtain, however with time the chatelaine and the objects it held evolved from being a purely utilitarian object into a decorative symbol that reflected the status of the wearer.
Lynn Konrad
