Jean Lurçat

Private Collection, United States

Graham Hughes, Modern Jewelry: An International Survey: 1890-1963, Studio Books, London, 1963, p. 146

Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Jean Lurçat, 1964

Jean Lurçat, (1892-1966) Lurçat was born in Vosges, France, and became a noted tapestry, graphics, and ceramics designer. His tapestries and designs were filled with mythological creatures – including his famous mermaids – and foliage. In 1959 his first experiments in jewelry were collaborations with Francois Hugo. By 1960 the company, Patek Philippe approached him to collaborate on designs with their chief jeweler, and fellow artist Gilbert Albert.

The pieces they executed together for the firm Patek Philippe were featured in Graham Hughes’ 1961 The International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery, 1890 – 1961 under the direction of The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and the Victoria and Albert Museum, which firmly wrote his name in the annals of modern European jewelry designers.