256 - Elizabethan brooch. Spain, 19th century.

Elizabethan brooch. Spain, 19th century. Made of silver with an openwork design, decorated with symmetrically arranged floral and plant motifs. The center features a circular faceted amethyst, set in a chatón and framed by flowers and leaves worked in relief. It bears a patina consistent with its age. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). This brooch is a characteristic example of 19th-century Spanish Elizabethan jewelry, a period in which naturalistic motifs inspired by flowers, leaves, and scrollwork became particularly widespread. The piece’s symmetrical, elongated design, combined with the contrast between the silver and the amethyst’s violet hue, reflects the ornamental tastes of the era.