GAME OF STONES: GOTHIC-REVIVAL MEETS DECO

Taking measure of our favorite bracelet from last weekend's New York Antique Jewelry and Watch Show. Attributed to Gustav Manz—though we could easily imagine it coming straight off the wrist of the Mother of Dragons—this articulated dazzler was purchased from the old Manhattan firm of T. Kirkpatrick & Co., then passed down through a prominent New York family in its original fitted case. While we often highlight Manz's arts and crafts showpieces and fine gold work, he also produced platinum and diamond jewelry for wholesale customers. (More on T. Kirkpatrick in earlier post: Deco Dragons.)

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Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved 

GUSTAV MANZ LLC

HOMAGE TO LALIQUE

Gold, opal, pearl and diamond cloisonne pendant in the form of two peacocks confronting one another, circa 1901 

Collection of the Metropolitan Museum

In honor of Rene Lalique's day of birth (April 6, 1860), The Met posted an image of this double peacock pendant on Instagram. 

A peacock regarding its own reflection or kissing its twin (because who else would?) is pretty amusing. But the way the enameling reflects the gem-set tail feathers draped around the opal takes your breath away. 

The jewels Lalique exhibited at the Salon de Paris from the late 19th century until he turned his focus exclusively to glassmaking in the early 20th were widely published for the trade in places like Jewelers' Circular—as in the image below, which appeared on the front page of the August 17, 1898 edition—and were also "a sensation" at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. 

As a journeyman jeweler in the 1880s before setting up his own business in New York, Gustav Manz (1865-1946) worked in Paris, where he likely saw Lalique's pieces at the Salon or at his shop on rue de Quatre-Septembre. One of the items Manz later recalled when his only granddaughter interviewed him about his accomplishments was the bracelet he'd crafted for Lalique's great muse Sarah Bernhardt (unfortunately no date or descriptive details were preserved). 

The peafowl has strutted its stuff through every era but particularly fascinated jewelers of the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts period. Manz was no exception. For his take on this flashy creature, check out our earlier post "Birds of a Feather."

A black and white photographic print of an illustration ("Homage") by John Hassall, British watercolorist and advertising artist of the Edwardian period

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We welcome comments, and invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and gustavmanz.com

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved 

GUSTAV MANZ LLC

SWIRLS

Gold, pearl, and diamond foliate 
 pendant, circa 1900
Gustav Manz designer/maker

Family collection 

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Copyright © Laura Mathews, 2014 
All Rights Reserved 

 GUSTAV MANZ LLC

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