1830-40s Victorian 14k Guilloche Enamel Earrings

A rare pair of antique continental European earrings, made between 1830-40 in Germany or Austria (most likely Vienna). Of solid 14k gold construction, the earrings are chandeliers in form, with an elongated arabesque pendant dangling freely from the lozenge upper section. The upper and bottom tips are chased with shell-like motifs, while the middle surfaces are richly inlaid with gold scrollwork and guilloché enameling in black, blue, red, green, and gold. The flame or wave-like texture within the enamels were achieved through the repetitive engraving of the gold underneath, with the aid of a proto-mechanical device called the rose engine lathe. The top of each earring wire is stamped with an owl, an old French hallmark guaranteeing the gold content of foreign-made jewelry, which means these earrings were imported into France at one point in history.

In terms of design, these earrings are still grounded in the late neoclassical style, which enjoyed a robust second wave during Napoleon’s reign. The elegant, elongated shape and tightly refined foliate and lyre-like scrollwork are all neoclassical characteristics.

Regional preferences shine through in the color palette: the black, blue, red, green, and gold combination seems to have been very popular with Viennese jewelers; several enameled earrings with this color scheme are in the collection of the Vienna State Museum (Museum der Stadt Wien) and are illustrated in pages 226-228 of Brigitte Marquardt’s “Jewelry: Classical Period and Biedermeier 1780-1850 Germany, Austria, and Switzerland” (see the last picture in listing).