Revival: A Unique Collection of 19th-century Jewels
Jean-Valentin Morel
Gold, gem set and enamel bracelet, mid-19th century
Lot Closed
November 15, 11:28 AM GMT
Estimate
7,000 - 11,000 CHF
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
Of neogothic inspiration, each panel collet-set with an oval cabochon gem stone including an amethyst, an aquamarine, a garnet, a quartz and a citrine respectively, within an openwork border applied with polychromous enamel, length approximately 175mm, maker’s mark for Jean-Valentin Morel, French assay marks for gold.
Jean-Valentin Morel
The French jeweller and silversmith Jean-Valentin Morel (1794-1860) was of Piemontese extraction. He originally trained as a maker of snuff boxes. From the mid-1820s onwards, he focused more on jewellery with a stress on mosaics as well as on elaborate silver pieces. The Romantic movement of the 1820s to 1840s, inspired him to explore a wide range of historicising styles including neo-gothic, Moorish, neo-renaissance and neo-rococo. Morel was a long-time supplier of the prestigious jeweller Fossin, the precursor to Chaumet and successor of Nitot. In 1842, he founded the firm of Morel et Cie in association with Henri Duponchel. In 1844, Morel et Cie won a gold metal at the Exposition Nationale des Produits de l’Industrie, but unfortunately was dissolved in 1848. Morel counted members of the Orléans dynasty amongst his clients including the Duke of Aumale (1822-1897), the fifth son of King Louis Philippe, who was an avid art collector and owner of the château de Chantilly. Following the Revolution of 1848, Morel spent several years working in London where he won a prize at the 1851 Great Exhibition. The following year he returned to France where he continued his successful collaboration with Fossin. His lifetime achievements were crown in 1857 with the Légion d’Honneur.
