Dragonfly woman corsage by Rene Lalique Flashcards
1) Social and Cultural-Japonism
.second half of 19th century, Japan exerted a major influence on European art and culture
.After Japanese ports resumed trade with west in 1853, an unprecedented volume and variety of Japanese goods arrived from the east
.Included porcelain, silks, fans, kimonos, and woodblock prints
.Enameling was a technique imported from japan, used extensively by Art Nouveau designers
.Technique used on wings of brooch
2) Social and Cultural-The natural world
.Central inspiration in Art, manifested in diverse ways
.Maybe prompted by mass urban migration(people moving from the country to cities to find work)
.Art Nouveau designers using stylized floral and organic forms to bring nature back to modern life
.Can clearly see this in influence in the wings and body as they’re inspired by dragonflies
Materials
Gold, enamel, chrysoprase, chalcedony, moonstones, diamonds
1) Function
.piece of jewellry is a brooch, designed to be pinned to piece of clothing
.Given the dramatic design can see its made to be a ‘statement’ piece.
Can be worn by using gold pin mechanism at the back
2) Function
.23cm high and 26.5cm wide
Quite large for a brooch, so not that comfy to wear after all, adds to idea of ‘statement’ piece
.May be quite heavy and would pull on fabric its pinned to
1) Fitness for Purpose
.Designed as a statement piece
.Meant to be noticed from distance, large size helps this
.Addition of colourful enamel and precious stones means the brooch will sparkle and catch the eye
2) Fitness for Purpose
.Piece is 100 years old, so we know its remained intact
.However its been on display for many years not actually used for its intended purpose
> The brooch is safe to wear, but there is small sharper edges and delicate parts that may easily be damaged or could cause damage to clothes
1) Material and/or Techniques
.Gold and diamonds were luxury at time it was made
.Gold used due to high durability and the fact its a soft metal making it extremely easy to manipulate into different forms
.Diamonds likely to have been imported from Africa, used in piece to show decadence and opulence
2) Materials and/or Techniques
.Piece is entirely hand made and is one of a kind
.Would have cost a lot for the materials as they were all imported from outside Europe
.The female figure would have been carved from chrysoprase, using this as a basis for the adjoining elements
.Sections made from gold would have been made using a lost-wax casting technique
.Gemstones would all have been set into the gold by hand and this would have been the last stage in the process
1) Target Market/Audience
Then
.When it was made, brooch would have been aimed at woman, given the sophisticated and adult nature of the design
. I would estimate age range to be around 30-50 years old
.Due to expensive materials and designers, can assume it would have been bought by the upper classes/ ladies with access to wealth
2) Target Market/Audience
.Brooch is help by a museum and is on permanent display.
.This is because of t he cultural and historical value the piece holds, however, if it came on t he market, it would most likely be bought by another museum or an independent collector of Lalique/ Art Novaeu works.
.Unlikely the piece will ever be worn again, unless for a special occasion as any buyer/collector would not want any potential damage to the brooch
.In today’s market buyer would be either gender, still a slightly older age range due to nature of design
.Cost to buy piece would be large, so again would be only those with access to money
1) Visual Impact
.There is a figure of the top half of a woman at the top of the brooch, she is nude and wearing a kind of hat or helmet which looks like 2 beetles placed on either side of her head
.Nudity would have caused controversy at the time it was made, making piece appeal to a specific target audience
2) Visual Impact
.Instead of arms, figure has dragonfly wings emerging from her shoulders
.These have been placed on hinges so when worn on body, physical movement causes wings to flutter
.Movement would have caught the eyes of other people, causing more interest in the piece
1) Style
.Brooch has been produced in the style of Art Noveau, this can be identified from the entire form of the brooch as its inspired by nature
.Lalique has included: the female form, beetles, mythological animals such as the griffin(animal from Greek Mythology).
.Has body, tail, and back legs of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle and an eagles talons as its front feet, and finally dragonflies
2) Style
.Perfectly symmetrical which was typical for Art Noveau designs
When piece was made would have been considered quite a fun/risque piece, however nowadays it would be judged to be more formal in style
