Hand painted miniature portraits were the predecessors of photographs. When there was no other way to record a likeness of someone, the miniatures were treasured and passed down in families. Some portrait miniatures were painted of a specific person, and others were of classic style beauties rather than a particular real person. Often, these pieces were made into jewelry and worn as decoration.
Paris became know for wild costume balls during the 1820s and ’30s, as the boulevards of central Paris became mixed districts for shopping, financial business, and entertainment. These thoroughfares linked the working-class “Boulevard du Crime” in the east with elite new residential districts to the west. Among the new establishments popping up were theaters that hosted balls. All classes enjoyed nights of debauchery and seductive innuendo, causing quite a stir throughout the city and abroad.
“During the heyday of masked balls, the rich dressed as rag-pickers and thieves, and laundry-girls came as the aristocrats,” historian James H. Johnson writes. “The wealthy attended for the thrill of rubbing shoulders with supposed outlaws.” These balls served to encourage class mixing and costumes that crossed gender lines.
Crafted in 18 karat yellow gold, this enchanting hand painted brooch depicts a woman in costume, perhaps a harlequin. Beautifully executed, with delicate features and softly curled blond hair, she wears a beribboned tricorn hat and a golden necklace. A diamond accents her hat, with pink rubies, diamonds and natural seed pearls embellishing the golden frame. A wonderful piece with a rich history of the spirited and pleasure-seeking Parisians of the nineteenth century!
Details (approximate)
Dimensions: 1"
Weight: 5.85 grams
Materials: Gold, Diamond, Ruby, Seed Pearl, Hand Painted Enamel
Metal: 18K yellow gold
Marks: French hallmark, 75 on pin
Condition: Excellent