Van Cleef & Arpels

When Van Cleef & Arpels first introduced its ballerina brooches in the early 1940s, the world was in the grip of war — and Louis Arpels, a devoted patron of ballet, saw in dance exactly the kind of beauty and escape he wished his jewels to embody. Developed in collaboration between designer Maurice Duvalet and John Rubel, the ballerinas captured a sense of grace and optimism at a moment of profound uncertainty. Each figure was conceived as an individual character, depicted in varying poses, gestures, and costumes, their animated forms lending the jewels an unmistakable sense of personality and movement.

Though Van Cleef & Arpels and John Rubel parted ways in the mid-1940s, both houses continued to produce ballerina brooches independently. Van Cleef & Arpels refined the ballerina into one of the House’s most longstanding and beloved themes, while Rubel Frères continued to create his own interpretations until closing their doors in 1950. Produced in limited quantities by both Van Cleef & Arpels and Rubel Frères, ‘Ballerina’ jewels have become increasingly elusive; the present group, lots 115–118, therefore offers a particularly rare opportunity to encounter such a troupe together in a single sale. Though small in scale—particularly the delightfully petite dancers of lot 117—they are immense in personality, each figure animated by its own distinctive charm.