Art Nouveau Japanese 24k Silver Inlaid Damascene Bat and Crescent Moon Necklace Antique Jewelry

Bats Soar Loftier in Art Nouveau Jewelry

As fascination for Asian motifs spread through the Western globe during the nineteenth century, bats became pop in Art Nouveau jewelry equally symbols of luck and happiness.

Courtesy of Michaan'south Auctions

As fascination for Asian motifs spread through the Western globe during the nineteenth century, bats became pop in Art Nouveau jewelry as symbols of luck and happiness.

Although bats take long been seen as a "scary" symbol of Halloween in the Western world and viewed through a gothic eye, thanks in part to Bram Stoker'due south Dracula (1897), which depicts vampires every bit shape-shifting bats, these creatures of the night are seen as symbols of luck or reincarnation in other cultures (not to mention that scientists view their navigational systems as an evolutionary virtuoso human action).

Bats often stand for death in the sense of letting go of the old, and bringing in the new. They are symbols of transition, of initiation, and the start of a new commencement. In Chinese, the pronunciation of the words for "bat" and "happiness" are both fu. In Japanese, the bat has the same symbol every bit "luck," and so it is the Asian equivalent of the Bluebird of Happiness.

As fascination for oriental motifs spread through the United States and Great Britain during the nineteenth century, bats began actualization ofttimes in Art Nouveau design and were a popular motif in jewelry, created in golden, plique-à-jour enamel, diamonds, rubies and other gems by René Lalique and other designers. Lalique appeared to be so fond of bats that he even busy his showcase at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris with them.

With the influence of Japonisme, Fine art Nouveau bats are more symbols of luck and happiness than spooky creatures, and these 13 pieces of jewelry showcase the mammal in cute class:

Courtesy of Christie'southward

This bat brooch has a gray bizarre pearl trunk with extending translucent lite blueish enamel and single-cutting diamond wings and the gold caput has cabochon ruby eyes and single-cutting diamond ears. This sold at Christie's for $iii,055.

Courtesy of Tadema Gallery

Gold, plique-à-jour enamel and diamond bat brooch, Austria, circa 1905.

Courtesy of Christie'south

Although not specified equally a bat woman, this "Belle De Nuit" ("Beauty of the Night") brooch, circa 1900, is close enough for me. By Edmond Becker, this is designed as a carved ivory maiden with a rose-cutting diamond sash and extended blue plique-à-jour enamel wings scattered with diamond collets, enhanced past a diamond trim and diamond stars set against an sometime European and rose-cutting diamond crescent moon and scattered star properties, mounted in argent-topped gold. This sold at Christie'due south for $230,500.

Courtesy of Museé des Arts Decoratifs

In 1899, Liane de Pougy, a Folies Bergère vedette and dancer renowned equally one of Paris' almost beautiful and notorious courtesans, deputed two bat-themed pieces of jewelry by René Lalique as gifts for Natalie Clifford Barney, an American playwright, poet and novelist who lived as an expatriate in Paris. 1 was this opal, diamond and blue enamel ankle bracelet and the other a argent, enamel and moonstone band, shown below.

Courtesy of Museé des Arts Decoratifs

Bat ring in silvery, gold, enamel, moonstone and diamond past René Lalique, ca 1899, as a gift for Natalie Clifford Barney.

Courtesy of Piasa

Another chauve-souris (bat) ring past René Lalique, circa 1901, featuring a gilded and blue enamel flying bat with an overhead sapphire. This sold for $44,645 at Piasa.

Courtesy of Michaan's Auctions

A silver bat brooch featuring plique-à-jour enamel wings accented with four white sapphires and the bat's eyes characteristic 2 circular cabochon-cut red stones, 4-1/ii" 50 x 1" h. This sold at Michaan's Auctions for $3,750.

Courtesy of PBS

This silverish and plique-à-Jour enamel bat festoon necklace with seed pearls, circa 1900, was appraised on "Antiques Roadshow" in 2017 between $4,000-$half-dozen,000.

Courtesy of PBS

A close-upward of the festoon necklace.

Courtesy of Ruby Lane

A rare Art Nouveau Japanese 24k silver-inlaid damascene bat and crescent moon necklace.

Courtesy of Quittenbaum Kunstauktionen GmbH

A "femme chauve souris" pendant, 1898-1900, in golden with enameled wings, past René Lalique. This sold for $75,101 in 2016 at Quittenbaum Kunstauktionen GmbH.

Courtesy of Bonhams

A cultured pearl, diamond, ruby and enamel bat brooch, the torso prepare with a pear-shaped pearl of gray tint, the outstretched wings decorated with pliqué-à jour-enamel, with single-cut diamond detail and ruby eyes; sold at Bonhams for $two,143.

Courtesy of Sotheby'due south

An antique ruby and diamond bat brooch, circa 1900, the wings pavé-set with circular-cut rubies and diamonds, the eyes composed of marquise-shaped diamonds, attributed to André Aucoc; valued between $42,573-$64,400.

Courtesy of Bonhams

An Art Nouveau gilt and diamond-ready bat brooch and pendant, circa 1900. The brooch is sculpted every bit a textured gilded bat with out-stretched wings and rose-cutting diamond eyes and the pendant is designed equally a bat with green plique-à-jour out-stretched wings, decorated throughout with circular paste, suspending a similarly-gear up star and freshwater pearl drop, to the paste-gear up crescent moon surmount. Sold at Bonhams for $iii,671.

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Source: https://www.antiquetrader.com/collectibles/bats-soar-high-in-art-nouveau-jewelry

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