It is funny how jewellery houses, vintage sellers and influencers continu to promote brooches and for a long time it did not appeal to the public. But now it seems there is a change going on and brooches are much more appreciated. I made a series about brooches years ago. I will publish my story here again:
Whimsical jewelry: an excellent conversation piece. In 1954 the French Jewelry House of Van Cleef & Arpels introduced a range of little cute animal brooches that were meant as affordable modern daywear jewelry. They were inspired on cartoon (read ) animals and the most famous nowadays is the‘Lion Ebouriffé, the ruffled lion in gold, diamonds, a black onyx nose and emerald green eyes and the‘Chat Malicieux’, or the puckish cat with one eye closed, a black onyx belly, an emerald green eye and a ruby red nose. Where these whimsical animal brooches typical of the retro period or existed they beforeand what makes them so typical retro?
If we go back in time to the Victorian age, we see a whole range of animal brooches coming to market in the1890s. They were called novelty brooches and you could see a rabbit chewing on a carrot or two kittens playing together, a duck pulling a rabbit in an eggshell boat, acrobatic monkeys on a perch or a stork dressed as a dandy. In a way very funny brooches, they were small, light in weight and easy to wear.They were funny alright, but harmless, naïve and innocent. Maybe because the women in thosedays were more docile in comparison to the more independent women who stood their ground during the Second World War. The retro brooches are sweet as well, but some are very wicked. The idea of a cat with a black eye from fighting or a cute little lion cub with wild manes who in real life is a dangerous animal is an attractive idea and says something about the wearer. It is said that Jeanne Toussaint, the artistic manager of Cartier during the war is to be held responsible for the trend of funny animals and perky birds, although her first bird had a patriotic message. She was probably influenced by Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli, another great artistic leader in fashion and jewelry of those times, think of the lobster dress and the high heel had.
The idea of a cat with a black eye from fighting or a cute little lion cub with wild manes who in real life is a dangerous animal is an attractive idea and says something about the wearer.
Recently (2019) Jeanne Toussaint’s Free Bird or “L’Oiseau Libéré”,cameup for auction in Paris. She designed in 1942 as an act of patriotism an“Oiseau en Cage” or a bird in a cage, symbol of France being held prisoner. As the Germans had their headquarters at the Ritz, a few steps away from the boutique of Cartier, Toussaint was arrested for her bird in a cage. She was set free again, but the caged birds were confiscated. In 1944 Paris was liberated and Toussaint designed a new bird, this time out of the cage, with the door open and with its wings flapping. They say you could hear the bird sing. The brooch is made of 18K gold, a coral belly, lapis lazuli wings and the head is paved with old cut diamonds and a sapphire for an eye. In fact we see in all era’s animals in jewelry, but the big difference with the fifties is that almost every jewelry house in Europe and across the ocean started to design animal jewelry and with the aim of being funny and affordable or serious and sumptuous, as the world had changed. Large groups climbed the social ladder and could afford and enjoy the immense popular cocktail parties where it was OK to show off your wealth and glamourous lifestyle. A funny brooch or a drooping tiger around your arm was an excellent conversation piece. And they still are, but now we call them retro.