c.1730-50 German Rococo Carnelian Parure

A rare c. 1730-50 early Rococo parure of German origin, consisting of girandole earrings and a choker necklace with a detachable pendant, set with 69 rose cut carnelians in closed-back foiled collet settings of gilded silver. A nearly identical choker in the Museum of Decorative Arts, Cologne (inv. G 245) is illustrated on p. 123 of the museum’s 1985 catalogue by Anna Beatriz Chadour & Rüdiger Joppien. Several early 18th c jewels of this type are in the Victoria & Albert Museum (M.82-1962, M.81-1962, M.81A-1962). Other examples are in the Bavarian National Museum (Inv. R8304) and Württemberg State Museum (inv. FN891u.9025). Early Rococo jewels made circa 1720-50 can be differentiated from post-1750 designs in the lack of excessive ornamentation. As evidenced by 1736 design drawings by Thomas Flasch, early pendeloque-form pendants and earrings relied on a simplicity of contour and dominating sense of geometry. This trait is shared by other regional variants: for example, early Rococo English ‘Queen Anne’ paste jewels from the same period also feature large, striking geometric shapes as compositional centerpieces. German-made examples like the present parure display regional distinctiveness in the use of carnelian, a reddish variety of chalcedony available in Europe almost exclusively through Germany. Skilled Idar-Oberstein gem-cutters have traditionally faceted carnelian with a rose-cut crown, lending the stone a scintillating appearance under indirect light, and a warm translucent glow under direct light. Mined in areas like Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Rhineland-Palatinate, carnelian (and its related hardstones) have formed a conspicuous element of German decorative arts. The German poet, Goethe (1749-1832) famously wrote, “Carnelian is a Talisman, / It brings good luck to child and man; / It drives away all evil things; / To thee and thine protection brings” (“Pledges of Blessing” from West–östlicher Divan, c. 1819). The present parure is a rare survival in complete and original form, without lost elements or later alterations.
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