Art Deco Aquamarine and Coral Ring by Jean Fouquet, Paris, 1935
Art Deco Aquamarine and Coral Ring by Jean Fouquet, Paris, 1935
A ring centering a prong-set rectangular aquamarine with cut corners, accented with coral rectangles on either side and trapeze-shaped aquamarines on the shoulders; mounted in platinum, with French assay marks
- Signed Fouquet
- Ring size: 6 1/2
Biography
Maison Fouquet was founded in Paris in 1862 by Alphonse Fouquet, who exhibited jewelry inspired by sphinxes and chimeras at the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris. In 1895, he was succeeded by his son, Georges, a designer and shrewd businessman respected among his peers and a commander of the Légion d’Honneur. At the turn of the century, graphic designer Alphonse Mucha created imaginative jewels for the company. Jean Fouquet joined the family firm in 1920, designing avant-garde jewelry based on rectilinear precepts. After the firm closed in February 1936, he worked on commissions for private clients.
Significance
Jean Fouquet’s work exemplifies the disciplined geometry of French Art Deco design. Having joined the family firm in 1920, he developed designs that stripped away unnecessary ornament in favor of simple, layered forms. This ring reflects that approach in concentrated form: the composition is organized around a rectangular aquamarine, with each adjoining element contributing to a unified whole.
The treatment of the shoulders is central to the ring’s character. Narrow coral rectangles flank the principal aquamarine, establishing a clear interval between the center stone and the trapeze-shaped aquamarines at either side. The shift from rectangular to tapering forms carries the composition down the shoulders while directing the eye back toward the central stone, lending the ring a sense of depth and movement within a compact, carefully ordered design.
The ring demonstrates Jean Fouquet’s ability to make structure integral to artistic expression. Its distinction lies in the considered relationship between the central stone, the coral accents, and the shaped aquamarines on the shoulders. As an example of his geometric approach to Art Deco jewelry, it would be an important addition to a collection, combining assured design with the intimate scale of a ring.
