ticketsMember | Make a donation

Dragonfly brooch

for Boucheron French
ca. 1890
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 556
Conceived as a dazzling dragonfly with delicate plique-à-jour wings, this brooch epitomizes the Art Nouveau style in both fashion and manufacture. With its translucent wings set en tremblant and its sparking rose-cut diamonds, the present jewel catches the light brilliantly. In the enameling technique called plique-à-jour, vitreous enamel is applied to openwork wire cells without a backing, creating the transparent effect of stained glass. The house of Boucheron was founded in 1858 by Frédéric Boucheron (1830–1902). First opened in the Galerie de Valois, under the arcades of the Palais Royal, the shop was perfectly situated in the center of Second Empire Parisian luxury. In 1893 Boucheron moved to the Place Vendôme—the first of the great French houses to occupy that location—where it remains headquartered to this day, with more than 30 branches across the globe.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Dragonfly brooch
  • Maker: Edgar Bense
  • Maker: for Boucheron (French, founded 1858)
  • Date: ca. 1890
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Gold, diamond, enamel
  • Dimensions: 5/8 × 4 5/8 × 2 9/16 in. (1.6 × 11.7 × 6.5 cm)
  • Classifications: Jewelry, Metalwork-Gold and Platinum
  • Credit Line: Gift of Albion Art Co. Ltd., 2018
  • Object Number: 2018.447.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Woman from the French Colonies, Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier French, Algerian onyx-marble, bronze, and enamel; white marble socle, French, Paris
Woman from the French Colonies
Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier
Charles-François Rossigneux
1861
Jewish Woman of Algiers, Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier French, Algerian onyx-marble, bronze, gilt bronze, enamel, and amethyst eyes; white marble socle, French, Paris
Jewish Woman of Algiers
Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier
Charles-François Rossigneux
1862
Table clock with calendar, Lucien Falize French, Case: silver, partly enameled gold, hardstones, rock crystal, amethysts, and diamonds; movement: brass and steel, French, Paris
Table clock with calendar
Multiple artists/makers
1881
Ewer, François-Desiré Froment-Meurice, Silver gilt, French, Paris
Ewer
François-Desiré Froment-Meurice
ca. 1850
Coin cabinet, Charles Percier French, Mahogany (probably Swietenia mahagoni), applied and inlaid silver, French, Paris
Coin cabinet
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1809–19

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.