113 - Nach Georges Braque

Nach Georges Braque A textured 18k gold brooch "Thyria" with ruby collet eye. Solid gold brooch in the form of a stylised flying swan with a cast relief texture, set with a small ruby eye. Clip fitting with a double white gold pin and safety clasp. Hallmarks: Paris gold fineness mark “tête d’aigle”, 750 gold, maker’s mark “Sté C” with a standing beaver in a horizontal lozenge. Hand-engraved “Bijoux de Braque Thyria R8 /75, LP 2577”. 6.5 × 5.0 cm. Weight 28.31 g. Presented in a gilt box frame on burgundy velvet (25.5 × 28.5 cm). Design: Georges Braque 1962, Execution: Henri Michel Baron Heger de Loewenfeld. Paris, c. 1962. The “Thyria” bird motif is based on a gouache from 1962 and belongs to Georges Braque’s print series Métamorphoses, whose title derives from Ovid’s eponymous ancient poem. The image alludes to the fate of Thyria, who was transformed into swans by Apollo, together with their son Kyknos. The limited-edition jewellery collection Bijoux de Braque was developed by the artist during the final years of his life (1960 - 1963), in collaboration with his friend, the Parisian sculptor Baron Heger de Loewenfeld, who translated the drawings into three-dimensional forms. In March 1963, a few months before Braque’s death, the collection was presented to the public at the exhibition Cent bijoux de Georges Braque in the Pavillon de Marsan in Paris. Literature Cf. G. Braque, Métamorphoses de Braque – Gouaches Bijoux Sculptures Livres d’Art Lithographies, Paris, 1989, p. 41, illustrating the original design. Another example was sold at Christie’s, Geneva, 21 November 1991, lot 408.