AN ENAMEL AND GEM-SET TIGER ORCHID BROOCH, BY TIFFANY & CO., CIRCA 1890 Realistically modeled as a tiger orchid, the flowerhead applied with yellow, brown and orange enamels and featuring rose-cut diamond highlights, to a sinuous stem set with circular-cut emeralds and rubies, signed Tiffany & Co., French import mark, length 10cm Gross weight approx. 34.2 grams Amongst the glittering array of jewellery on Tiffany’s showcase at the 1889 Paris Exposititon Universelle, were a group of twenty-five enameled orchid brooches. The exquisitely modeled, hyper-realistic flowers were perfect reproductions of species found in New Mexico, Brazil and Guatemala. At the exposition, the orchids were displayed at the top of the display canopy, forming a canopy over the jewels below. Paul Farnham (1859-1929) is accredited with designing these jewels, which were hugely popular amongst Tiffany’s clientele.? A brooch of almost identical appearance was included in Tiffany’s ‘Epic Vision & Virtuosity’ exhibition, Shanghai, September-November, 2019.
