Dragonflies have captured the artist’s imagination for millennia. Their lithe forms have lent themselves to all manner of media, from ancient amulets to interior decorations, nature studies, religious imagery, and elegant adornments.
Art Jewelry Inspired by The Met
A fantastical French brooch in The Met collection, made around 1890 by Edgar Bense, informs our new Art Nouveau Dragonfly Brooch.
Embellished with crystals and pearls, our interpretation recalls the dazzling diamond-and-enamel brooch on view in the Museum’s European Sculpture and Decorative Arts galleries.
To achieve the stained-glass-like luminosity of the wings, Bense employed an enameling technique called plique-à-jour (translating to “braid letting in daylight” in French), by which enamel is applied to openwork wire cells without any backing so that light can shine through. The wings are likewise set en tremblant (French for “tremble”) to allow for subtle movement in homage to the grace of dragonflies in flight. As such, the Museum’s brooch epitomizes the spirit of Art Nouveau, which sought to stylize wonders of the natural world.
Bense is in good company among the many artisans who have chosen the dragonfly as their subject. Louis C. Tiffany (American, 1848–1933) was profoundly inspired by dragonflies, as his splendid hair ornament made around 1904 suggests. Capturing an ephemeral moment, two dragonflies alight on delicate dandelion puffs, one of which has partially blown away. The dragonflies have shimmering black opals along their backs and dazzling pink opals as their heads, their coloristic properties evoking the designer's famed iridescent glass. Their filigree wings are, like Bense's brooch, en tremblant.
Our Louis C. Tiffany Dragonflies Correspondence Cards bear gold-embossed dragonflies nodding to the Museum's hair ornament, which is considered one of Louis C. Tiffany's most remarkable creations.
In turn, the dragonfly became one of Louis C. Tiffany's most successful motifs, made evident in the popularity of the many dragonfly-patterned lampshades produced by Tiffany Studios (American, 1902–32). A rare watercolor study (ca. 1905–10) in the American Wing for this design in two colorways, possibly by Clara Driscoll (American, 1861–1944) for Tiffany Studios, informs our Louis C. Tiffany Dragonfly Bookmark.
Representations found throughout the Museum’s holdings display an enduring, multicultural fascination with dragonflies. On view in the Egyptian Art galleries are three dragonfly amulets dating to around 1981–1640 BCE, indicating that dragonflies may have been bestowed with positive symbolic significance.
Three timeless adornments belonging to our demi-fine jewelry made in collaboration with Pamela Love look to such amulets in the Museum's Egyptian Art holdings.
In 16th-century Europe, the insect was plagued by a more sinister association with the devil. Virgin and Child with a Dragonfly (ca. 1500) by the Master of Saint Giles (Netherlandish and French, active ca. 1500), exhibited in the Robert Lehman Collection, depicts a dragonfly ensnared within the triumphant Christ’s grasp.
In the Arms and Armor collection is a whimsical 18th-century Japanese helmet bearing a very conspicuous dragonfly perched on its crown. Referred to as kachi-mushi ("victorious insect"), the dragonfly was a favorite emblem of the samurai for its unwavering hunting technique.
Of course, there are also plenty of portrayals that simply observe the dragonfly’s compelling beauty, from a 17th-century Flemish drawing to an 18th-century Japanese picture book and a 19th-century French photograph.
The Met’s diverse holdings illustrate that the dragonfly has long been admired by artists around the world as a symbol, a specimen, and a marvel of nature.
Unique Gifts for Her
Shop the Art Nouveau Dragonfly Brooch, alongside dozens of other art-inspired brooches, online and in-store at The Met Fifth Avenue.
