Gold brooch in the form of a girl with flowing hair in carved chalcedony, decorated with stained glass enamel, rubies, diamonds and pearls, Georges Fouquet, circa 1900
Georges Fouquet (1862-1957) was the son of the successful Parisian jeweler Alphonse Fouquet (1828-1911), who created Neo-Renaissance jewelry. Le Maison Fouquet was founded in 1860. His Art Nouveau creations delighted the public with fine craftsmanship and design. There are several famous examples of Fouquet gemstones, including specially shaped polished opals; at least two such specimens are in the collection of the Musée Petit Palais in Paris. Georges Fouquet is best known for his Art Nouveau jewelry. This is not surprising, because Alphonse Mucha himself had a hand in the design. Their cooperation proved to be extremely successful, which was shown by the success of the company at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900.
Gold necklace with vegetable motifs, decorated with stained glass enamel, aquamarines, diamonds and pearls, Georges Fouquet, circa 1905
Another permanent designer of Georges Fouquet was Charles Derosier, a student of Eugène Grasset, one of the pioneers of Art Nouveau. Thanks to his design, Maison Fouquet jewelry has become more elegant. Derosier’s designs were hugely popular, being praised for their beauty, use of color and material.
Georges Fouquet’s most famous enamel painter was Étienne Tourette, who also worked for Henri Vever. Tourette was taught the plique-á-jour technique by his teacher Louis Wuillon. Tourette also used his own techniques to achieve an incredibly beautiful effect: in the process of enamelling, he added tiny pieces of silver, gold or platinum (so-called “pylons”), which created an additional shine on the surface of the enamel.
Birth of Venus gold brooch in the form of a carved ivory girl emerging from a sculpted golden shell, on an enamel background of carved fiery red coral branches in a blue-green arched frame, with pearl pendant, Georges Fouquet, circa 1900
In those years, the magnificent Sarah Bernard shone on the stage of Paris. Alphonse Mucha worked a lot for the theater – he created posters, costume designs, stage design. For the play “Medea”, Alphonse Mucha depicted on the poster the main character standing over a lifeless body with a dagger in her hand. The other hand was decorated with an amulet in the form of a snake. This touch of the image inspired Sarah Bernhardt to commission Georges Fouquet a bracelet in the form of a snake designed by Alphonse Mucha. In this bracelet, she went on stage in the roles of Medea and Cleopatra.
Peacock feather gold ring set with opal, ruby and stained glass enamel, Georges Fouquet, circa 1900Brooch in gold and silver with a relief image of girls, framed in diamonds and pearls, decorated with a sprig of mistletoe in gold enamel, Georges Fouquet, circa 1903, from the collection of the V&A Museum, LondonEnamelled gold flower and hornet brooch by Georges Fouquet, designed by Charles Derosier, circa 1901, from the collection of the V&A Museum, LondonPoster and bracelet Sarah BernhardtInterior of Georges Fouquet’s shop, 1902Egyptian style gold pendant brooch with turquoise egg-shaped cabochon framed by fan-shaped enamel lotuses with white opal segments accentuated by rectangular topazes and set with diamonds, with white opal drop pendant, Georges Fouquet, circa 1910Gold pendant with a drop of fire opal enclosed in an opal cap with blue cloisonné enamel wings, set with diamonds and pearls, suspended from an enameled bracket, Georges Fouquet, circa 1900Rectangular-cut aquamarine gold ring set with enamel and six pear-shaped spessartite garnets, Georges Fouquet, circa 1900Gold necklace with a shield-shaped pendant with a stylized thistle, decorated with green enamel with a pattern of gold and purple enamel, with a Baroque pearl pendant, Georges Fouquet, circa 1905Gold ring depicting stylized lotus leaves, set with diamonds and stained glass enamel, circa 1905.Opal gold pendant set with pearls and stained glass enamel depicting a landscape, an enamel river and trees under an opal sky, framed by enamel foliage, circa 1900.Gold opal pendant set with pearls, diamonds and stained glass enamel, depicting an openwork cascade of diamonds between opal panels, 1901.Pendant brooch in gold and platinum with diamonds and pearls, decorated with stained glass enamel, with a carved ivory female head, 1900.Gold pendant depicting trees in a landscape, decorated with stained glass enamel and hanging pearl, circa 1900.Tortoiseshell comb adorned with mother-of-pearl, pearls and gold decoration, circa 1905.Silver buckle decorated with jasper, opal and guilloché enamel, circa 1900.Corsage brooch in gold with agate, ruby, pearls and diamonds, decorated with stained glass enamel, 1900.Brooch in gold with pearls and opal, decorated with stained glass enamel, circa 1900.Tortoise comb inspired by ancient Egyptian lotus and papyrus motifs, decorated with opals, enamel and gold, 1905-1908.Tortoise comb set with opals, amethysts, diamonds, enamel and gold, circa 1900.
