Fine Jewellery - 26th October 2023

Lot 1094

λ Falize Frères, a superb Art Nouveau tortoiseshell, opal and gold comb, 'Gui', circa 1902

Estimate £10,000 - £20,000 | Hammer £12600

Inc. Buyers Premium

Description

λ Falize Frères, a superb Art Nouveau tortoiseshell, opal and gold comb, 'Gui', circa 1902, crowned with a sprig of mistletoe in gold with opal berries, to an openwork comb of blonde tortoiseshell, 10.7 x 9.6cm, unsigned, French import assay mark for 18ct gold

Cf.: Henri Vever, La Bijouterie Francaise au XIXe siècle vol. III, Paris, 1906-8, p.515, and Alaistair Duncan, The Paris Salons: 1895-1914, A-L, Antique Collector's Club, 1994, p.230, for a tortoiseshell, gold and opal comb of identical design by Falize Frères, dated 1902.
Katherine Purcell, Falize: a dynasty of jewellers, London, 1999, p.130, for another comb of mistletoe design, acquired from Falize Frères by the Berlin Kunstgewerbemuseum at the 1900 Exposition Universelle.