The animal world as seen by Van Cleef & Arpels, French history as told by Falize
Like an ode to nature, these airy brooches from Van Cleef & Arpels will be featured in the high jewelry sale orchestrated by Tajan in Paris, which will also feature an imposing historicist necklace attributed to Lucien Falize.
Estimation : 35 000/60 000 € chaque
From its foundation in 1906, the jewelry house quickly demonstrated a pronounced interest in flora and fauna. While flowers initially dominated the repertoire of creations, birds would later establish themselves as an essential motif. By the 1910s, birds were landing on the lapels of jackets, and feathers were invading hats. Seagulls, hummingbirds, swallows or kingfishers – no species escaped. They are a subtle evocation of the seaside resorts that were very much in vogue during the Belle Époque, when Van Cleef opened several boutiques. The bird in flight with its wings outstretched was an immediate success, and was magnified by the use of platinum – which reached its peak during the Art Deco period – enabling meticulous rendering of the graceful bodies, as well as the feathers and legs with their skilfully studied positions.
See also A Van Cleef & Arpels bird of paradise from the 1940s
The three brooches featuring a peacock, a wader and a duck in flight, all dated 1921 and each estimated at €35,000/60,000, perfectly reveal this craze. Represented in volume on several planes, the birds, entirely paved with rose-cut diamonds, are worked in a very fine pearl setting on a platinum mount, with an onyx cabochon taking the place of an eye. These models are part of a larger series, composing an aviary of “marvelous birds from distant lands” – as the 1922 Van Cleef & Arpels catalog puts it – and species living in France. While a stylization of form is already present, heralding the arrival of Art Deco, the anatomy of the animal and its size remain respected thanks to the setting system, which gives the jewel a sense of movement and suppleness.
Historicist jewelry
In a completely different style, this Diane de Poitiers necklace in yellow gold, polychrome enamel and diamonds, attributed to Alexis Falize, should be one of the sensations of the sale, at €20,000/30,000. The jewel is centered on a rectangular enamel medallion featuring the profile of the great patron of the arts and favorite of Henry II, whose emblems we can identify with her two interlaced DDs and the crescent moon, here diamonds. The necklace is reminiscent of an honorary decoration, mainly due to its three-row neckband composed of floret links held by two enameled round motifs.
This opulent creation is part of the historicist wave that flourished in the decorative arts in the last third of the 19th century, first under the Second Empire and then at the beginning of the Third Republic. In our case, we’re talking about the neo-Renaissance style, mastered to perfection by Alexis Falize. He particularly excelled in reusing techniques used in earlier times to work with gold and enamel. To maintain this high standard, he called on goldsmith Émile Taburet, who specialized in pieces inspired by the great styles of the 16th to 18th centuries.
Estimate: €20,000/30,000
Tuesday 08 July 2025 – 15:00 (CEST) – Live
37, rue des Mathurins – 75008 Paris
Tajan
