A rare and important Art Nouveau 'chaîne de corsage’  by Georges Fouquet and Alphonse Mucha, composed of eleven sections, each unique and set with various gemstones including ruby, sapphire and emerald, baroque natural pearls and diamonds, highlighted between each with a geometric motif decorated with plique-à-jour enamel, terminating on two pendants of foliate design highlighted with plique-à-jour and translucent enamel and baroque natural pearls, mounted in 18ct gold.  This remarkable necklace is one of the highlights of the three-year partnership of Georges Fouquet, the French jeweler known for his inventiveness and high-quality execution, and Alphonse Mucha, the Czech graphic artist who became well known for shaping the Aesthetics of Art Nouveau. The two men collaborated from 1899 to 1901. At a time when the emphasis had been on precious stones in traditional settings, Fouquet and Mucha together redefined fine jewelry design, espousing the belief that the beauty of a jewel depends on its artistic conception. Materials were chosen for their contribution to the overall design, not for their intrinsic value.Mucha conceived a spectacular series of elaborate jewels to be executed by Fouquet in his Paris atelier. Those objects formed the centerpiece of Fouquet's display at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, for which Fouquet was awarded a gold medal. Fouquet and Mucha executed many important commissions, such as the famous Snake bracelet for Sarah Bernhardt. This ‘chaîne de corsage’ necklace is one of the few pieces that have been preserved.
 
Reference number:REF304
Price upon Request