DATE: Victorian, 1894

A wonderful Aesthetic Movement silver brooch dating from the 1890s. The shape and style, a simple rectangle with partial rose gold border, give it a slightly modernist look, while keeping the ornate embellishment the Victorian era was known for. It features applied two-tone gold flowers and a hand-chased swallow and pommels around the edges.

The Aesthetic Movement in England was directly inspired by the London International Exhibition of 1862, where a large collection of Japanese art and objects were shown to a wide audience. Artists and Craftspeople would incorporate Japanese themes - usually depicting birds, flowers, plant foliage, and other scenes from nature - into their work, often citing the pursuit of pure beauty or "Art for Art's sake" as their ultimate goal. It was literally all about the aesthetics.

MEASUREMENTS 

4.3 x 2.0cm

WEIGHT 

4.0g

MARKS 

English hallmarks for Sterling Silver, Chester 1894

CONDITION 

Very good, some natural tarnish to the silver - can be polished out if desired