Re: Ears of Wheat from the French Crown Jewels Archived Message
Posted by Arthur on September 25, 2015, 1:13 am, in reply to "Ears of Wheat from the French Crown Jewels"
Thanks for the link, Malluu. I hope I will visit soon this exhibition. I must say I am quite sceptical about this tiara being commissionned for Empress Marie-Louise in 1811. The main reason for my scepticism if the naturalistic style of the tiara, with the ears of wheat disposed asymetrically, as if they were blown by the wind. Napoleonic jewellery is on the contrary very influenced by Antiquity-related geometry, and always (or almost always) strictly symetrical. I have in mind no other example of a Napoleonic tiara of asymetrical design, which is my main point of doubt about the attribution to Empress Marie-Louise. Two groups of ears of wheat disposed symetrically around a central axis (possibly with a central stone) would have perfectly fitted the style of Napoleonic jewellery. But the asymetrical form of this tiara reminds me more the style of late-19th-century naturalism. I wonder if this tiara could actually have been made later in the 19th century, or early 20th century, with diamond ears of wheat made in Napoleonic times. If I visit the exhibition, I will try to ask Chaumet's staff.
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