-Meyle & Mayer 1910 Art Nouveau Gilt Silver Pendant With Enamel And Plique Au Jour

An art nouveau slide mirror pendant designed by Meyle & Mayer. 

Fabulous piece, created in Pforzheim Germany by Meyle & Mayer during the art nouveau period, between the 1900 and 1910. This rare pendant has been designed as a slider mirror, crafted in solid .800/.999 silver with 24 karats gilt finish. Embellished with applications of multicolor hot enamel and parts treated with plique au jour translucent gray and green glass enamel. 

The main image shows us an allegory to music, with a richly dressed and decorated muse who is playing a kind of stringed musical instrument, more like a lute.

Gemstones: Mount in bezel settings, with 2 matching pear cabochon cut, carved from natural translucent green chrysoprase, with an estimate weight of 2.25 carats.

Sapphires: Mount in flush settings, with 4 round cabochon cut of vivid blue sapphires, .08 carats.

Birthstone: Chrysoprase for the month of May.

Weight: 47.40 Grams, (30.38 Dwt).

Measurements: 84 mm by 42 mm (3.31 x 1.65 Inches).

Hallmarks: Stamped with the German export mark for the assay of the .800 silver inside a rectangle cartouche. 

Meyle & Mayer

The company was founded in 1887 in Pforzheim, Germany by Gustave Mayle and Julius Mayer. They were two of the greatest Jugendstil / Art Nouveau masters in Germany, who produced rich and astounding jewelery. The Meyle & Mayer manufacture was destroyed during WW2 (in 1945) and never operated again. 

Allegory to music in art

Musical allegory, has come to mean not merely the representation. of concrete objects or actions but the representation of fairly complex. abstract principles, such as theological ideas. Allegory in art is when the subject of the artwork, or the various elements that form the composition, is used to symbolize a deeper moral or spiritual meaning such as life, death, love, virtue, justice etc.

Art Nouveau History 

Or so called the new art jewelry was created in Europe between about 1895 and 1915, coming on the heels of the “overwrought” designs of the Victorian era (which ended with Queen Victoria's death in 1901) and creating a striking contrast to the mainstream Edwardian designs of that time. While jewelry with a similar aesthetic was being made in other countries during the same time period--for example, Jugendstil in Germany and Austria--true Art Nouveau jewelry is decidedly extended in France. It was a short-lived period in jewelry design, lasting only about 15 years, because of the onset of World War I and because the pieces were so over-the-top that people quickly lost interest in them. Characterised by lavish and organic ornamentation, the Art Nouveau movement blossomed in Vienna at the turn of the 20th Century, with influential Austrians architects Otto Wagner and Adolf Loos making significant architectural contributions that helped shape the city's skyline as we see it today. Rene Lalique, was the most celebrated art nouveau designer, championed jewelry designer.

Plique à jour 

Came from the French is "letting in daylight". Is a very difficult vitreous enameling technique where the enamel is applied in cells, similar to cloisonné, but with no backing in the final product, so light can shine through the transparent or translucent enamel. It is in effect a miniature version of stained-glass and is considered very challenging technically: high time consumption (up to 4 months per item), with a high failure rate. The technique is similar to that of cloisonné, but using a temporary backing that after firing is dissolved by acid or rubbed away. A different technique relies solely on surface tension, for smaller areas. In Japan the technique is known as shotai-jippo (shotai shippo), and is found from the 19th century on.

Literature: cf. Jugendstil-Schmuck // Art Nouveau Jewellery from Pforzheim, Fritz Falk, 2009, Pp 258-271 for  similar sliding mirror illustrated. Beatriz Chador-Sampson & Sonya Newell-Smith, Tadema Gallery London Jewellery from the 1860s to 1960s, Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart 2021, p. 24 for a similar technique of plique au jour illustrated.

Collateral: It is accompanied by a presentation jewelry box.

Condition: The overall condition of this piece is excellent. Beside the little normal wear, there is no damage to the silver or the enamel. All gemstones are secured in the settings. This piece has been carefully inspected to guarantee the condition and authenticity.

INVENTORY REF: P062423MONM/1.215