Art Nouveau Floral Cuff

Description

Combinaisons Ornementales, published about 1901 by the Librairie Centrale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, is considered the “bible” of decorative Art Nouveau elements. This exceptional collection of patterns and designs, a copy of which is in the Museum’s collection, was created by Georges Auriol (pseudonym for Jean-Georges Huyot, French, 1863– 1938), Alphonse Maria Mucha (Czech, 1860–1939), and Maurice Pillard Verneuil (French, 1869–1942). Our exquisite cuff is adapted from a color pochoir (stencil) print in Combinaisons Ornementales.

24K gold overlay, hand enameled, with a turquoise-colored glass cabochon. 1 1/2''W; inner circumference: 6 3/4''.

Art History

Art Nouveau designs are characterized by organic whiplash curves, tentacle-like tendrils and flowers, and sinuous human and animal forms. In part a reaction to the mechanization of the Industrial Revolution, the “New Art” movement originated in France and Belgium in the 1880s and reached a high point at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris.