ART MODERNE CITRINE BROOCH BY SUZANNE BELPERRON FOR RENÉ BOIVIN, PARIS, 1933
ART MODERNE CITRINE BROOCH BY SUZANNE BELPERRON FOR RENÉ BOIVIN, PARIS, 1933
SOLD
A brooch composed of step-cut and baguette-cut citrines; mounted in gold, with French assay marks
- 12 step-cut and baguette citrines
- Maker’s mark for René Boivin
- Measurements: 2 x 1 ½ x ¾ inches
Additional cataloguing
Certification
Certificate of Authenticity from Françoise Cailles, dated July 18, 2016, stating that the brooch is Rene Boivin,1933, from a design by Suzanne Belperron.
Literature
Cailles, Françoise. René Boivin: Joaillier. Paris: Quartet Books, 1994, p. 123.
Biography
René Boivin founded his company in the 1890s. After his death in 1917, his wife, Jeanne Boivin—the sister of fashion designer Paul Poiret—presided over the firm. Assisted by her daughter Germaine and designers Suzanne Belperron and Juliette Moutard, Jeanne oversaw production of some of the most inspired jewelry of the twentieth century. The house is known for pieces with a strong, sculptural style as well as designs based on nature. After Jeanne’s death in 1959, Germaine Boivin and Juliette Moutard ran the company until it was sold in the 1970s.
Significance
When Jeanne Boivin took charge of the firm René Boivin as director in 1917, she began to redefine the aesthetic the company was known for. Breaking all convention, Boivin hired talented female jewelry designers who she worked closely with. Their designs, usually abstractions of flora and fauna inspirations, deviated from the mainstream designs of the jewelry houses on Place Vendôme. By the 1930s, with her guidance, the firm entered its most innovative years and produced designs that were big and bold, focusing on the importance of sculptural forms. Her combinations of unique materials in fresh color palettes demonstrated her strong sense of style and ability to create jewelry as wearable art.
This brooch, designed by Suzanne Belperron, is a combination of bold form with a unique color choice. Set with step-cut and baguette-cut citrines of varying sizes and shades from golden brown to deeper brown, the choice of a single stone type increases the subtle contrast between the brown tones. The subtle and expert stone setting emphasizes the highly sculptural form of this brooch. Each stone is tightly set at an angle to the stone next to it; this takes advantage of all the facets on each stone to allow for a maximum of angled surfaces to catch and refract the light as the wearer moves, mesmerizing the viewer.
Solidifying the company’s place in the Art Moderne movement of the late Art Deco period, René Boivin produced jewelry that was innovative and artistic. Unimpressed by typical combinations of diamonds and precious stones, Jeanne Boivin and Suzanne Belperron found beauty in the totality of a piece rather than the monetary value of the materials. This important René Boivin brooch is a wonderful modern design that embodies the spirit of the 1930s.