Art as Jewelry as Art
Art as Jewelry as Art
From an Important European Collection
Georges Braque
Térée
Lot Closed
October 6, 05:30 PM GMT
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
From an Important European Collection
Georges Braque
1882 - 1963
Térée
1964, stamped G. Braque, Heger de Lowenfeld, H.C., stamped N°56, Mars 64 Autorisé par G Braque ©, with
maker’s mark French assay mark for 18k gold
limited edition textured 18k gold bird clip brooch with rubies and emeralds
2⅝ by 2⅛ in.; 6.5 by 5.3 cm
From an Important European Collection
Bijoux de Braque, réalisés par Henri Michel Heger de Löwenfeld, Musée de Nice, 1969
Metamorphoses: The Braque Jewels, Geneva, Thursday, 21 November 1991, Christie's, Geneva, 1991, p. 35 for similar example
Diane Venet, From Picasso to Jeff Koons: The Artist as Jeweler, Skira, Milan, 2011, p.32 for similar example
The Térée brooch by Georges Braque is lovingly textured and studded with tiny rubies and emeralds like feathers spread across the body. Tereus, the son of the god of war Ares in Greek mythology, has a violent story full of anger and retribution. In the end, he is changed by the gods into a bird. Perhaps Braque’s rubies are placed like drops of blood; perhaps he immortalized the king in bird form to prevent him from doing further damage. In the increasingly
modern 1960s, Braque’s use of gold and simple, minimalist bird forms was truly avant-garde. His practice of mixing sand into his paintings and his aversion to shiny gold led his goldsmith de Loewenfeld to invent the gritty, dull finish that can be seen here which so beautifully contrasts with the gems.