18 Karat Two-Color Gold and Sapphire 'Wrapped Heart' Brooch, Verdura

Designed as a heart set with numerous cushion-cut sapphires, wrapped by a gold rope and topped by a bow, signed Verdura.

In very good condition. The sapphires, weighing approximately 90.00 carats, are medium light violetish blue and they range in clarity from eye-clean to lightly included. The signature is very rubbed but visible under magnification. With scratch number C6H5. Measuring approximately 2 3/4 x 2 1/4 inches.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion. Illustrations in the catalogue may not be actual size. Prospective purchasers are reminded that, unless the catalogue description specifically states that a stone is natural, we have assumed that some form of treatment may have been used and that such treatment may not be permanent. Our presale estimates reflect this assumption.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

These hearts, like many of Fulco di Verdura’s pieces, possess an ‘elan vital’ or ‘swell[ing] with life, sometimes to the point of bursting.’ Fulco started designing variations of the heart motif in his jewelry while in New York and it was not long before the West Coast Hollywood elite caught on. In December 1940, Joan Crawford fashioned a ruby-set platinum brooch in the form of an arrow-pierced heart. Mrs. Mervyn LeRoy, wife of film director and producer, picked a pink topaz heart bound in gold rope for her collection. American stage and film actor, Tyrone Power gifted one of the iconic brooches to ‘give his heart’ to wife Isabella on Valentine’s Day, 1940. It was undeniable, a new fashion was born- these voluminous, gem-set hearts enfolded or softly knotted with gold sashes or ropes embodied the romance and drama that filled the lives of Hollywood’s beau monde.

The allure of the heart brooch spread after a 1937 Vogue article remarked upon a lady who exhibited a ‘great blazing ruby heart on or above her heart on every occasion.’ Fulco’s hearts were said to have been inspired by the courtly heart jewels that were coveted in Elizabethan England, with a nod to the enameled locket belonging to the Countess of Lennox, Mary Queen of Scot’s mother-in-law. The Countess’ crowned and winged sapphire locket cover features variations of hearts, those shot with arrows and others tied with lovers’ knots.

With its ocean-blue sapphires and rope twist accents, the present ‘Wrapped Heart’ has a unique nautical feel about it. The knot or rope twist motif was a distinct characteristic of Verdura’s Jewelry in the 1940s. Fulco’s use of rope in his designs harks back to his boyhood and time spent in the Palermo harbor where he observed fishermen repair their nets and he learned the art of tying nautical ropes. More formally, Fulco also studied the ornamental designs of German masters Dürer and Holbein, as well as Leonardo da Vinci’s complex knotted patterns as seen in his trompe-l’oeil frescoed bower in the Castello Sforzesco in Milan. His library was filled with reference books on all forms of weaving and knotting from Navajo to Chinese traditions including an exhaustive Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Rope Work by R. Graumont and J. Hensel (1939).

Verdura created variations of the heart brooch ranging from small gold flaming hearts, suitable for everyday wear or to don in multiples, as well as the pink tourmaline Ardent Heart, crested with diamond flames and bound with a diamond-linked gold chain. The brooch offered here, eye-catching with its stunning blue sapphires and bound elegantly with thin gold rope, is an impressive example of one of Verdura’s most iconic designs.

For additional information please see Verdura the Life and Work of a Master Jeweler, by Patricia Corbett, pages 118-120.