c.1830 Late Georgian Neoclassical Sautoir

A chic and handsome c. 1830 sautoir à la Grecque, 30 inches long and weighing 50.8 grams, crafted in warm 15k yellow gold with Greek fret links and repoussé-worked elements. The clasp is original to the chain; its forget-me-not design with Persian turquoise within cramp settings is representative of 1830s jewelry, mirroring many floral ring faces from this period. Chains fashioned with versions of the Hellenistic meander (also known as the Greek fret or Greek key) were made throughout Europe during the early 19th century. A French empire version with links similar to the present chain is illustrated on p. 49 of “French Jewelry of the Nineteenth Century” by Henri Vever. An Austrian variant, c. 1800, is in the Museum Carolino Augusteum (inv. K54/29). A c. 1840 Spanish example is in the Museo Románico (no. 2.622). These chains are often called ‘à la Grecque’ (of the Greek style), and popular at a time when European fashions favored revivals of Greek and Roman styles. According to Henri Vever, clean and understated Neoclassical motifs enhanced “the beauty of women’s figures, offering no distraction from their classic contours with too intricate a design”. However, by 1830, the stark simplicity of Neoclassicism had been diluted by a return to ornamentation and the onset of the early Romantic movement. The present chain pairs Neoclassical Greek frets with more decorative repoussé-worked embellishments, which had become very fashionable by this time. The 1834 portrait of Irene, Marquise Pallavicini by Joseph Stieler for instance shows a chain of similar composition (geometric motifs paired with repoussé elements). Long and substantial sautoir chains also made a comeback with early 19th c revivalism, after nearly disappearing from women’s dress during the 18th century. While rococo fashions favored neck chokers, c. 1830 gowns had sweeping necklines that hung low on the shoulder. Necks were left bare for their swan-like quality. Meanwhile, a revival of Renaissance fashion brought back hanging elements like the ferronnière (a hanging chain around the forehead), as well as dress chains long enough to drape over exposed shoulders, a look preserved in many 1830s portraits.
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