Exceptional Art Nouveau Brooch

Early 20th century Art Nouveau brooch/pendant, probably by Lucien Janvier of Paris, circa 1900, depicting a woman in thought, with enamel and plique a jour.

Art nouveau upended the stringent design of previous decades, introducing dreamlike elements, eschewing the use of precious stones in favour of design and style. The gilded locks of hair represent female liberation, and the butterfly wings represent the metamorphosis of a woman’s place in a rapidly changing society. The pansy (pensée in French) in her hair indicates that she is lost in thought.

An almost identical brooch is pictured in Art Nouveau Jewellery by Vivienne Becker