Jeweled Dragonfly Pin/Pendant

Description

The Museum’s elegant Jeweled Dragonfly Pin/Pendant is crafted in the style of celebrated Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé (Russian, 1846–1920). In the nineteenth century, Russian jewelry manufacture became increasingly industrialized, and distinctive jewelry styles proliferated. By the middle of the century, ornaments that imitated flowers, leaves, insects, birds, and other natural forms became especially fashionable.

Silver overlay with black onyx and crystals. 1 1/2''L.

Art History

Prior to 1700, both men and women in Russia dressed in traditional broad-skirted, long-sleeved garments, similar to caftans, which were adorned with ornaments either sewn or buttoned onto the cloth. Among the Westernizing reforms of Czar Peter the Great, however, was the 1700 decree that introduced European costume to the upper classes. Later legislation prescribed the forms of dress, and even of ornament, that were to be worn on various occasions. Peter also established diamond-cutting factories in the country. These reforms rapidly lured experienced European jewelers to St. Petersburg to produce Western-style jewelry in gold and precious stones for an aristocratic clientele. Their designs were widely imitated for a broader audience by craftsmen who used less expensive materials.