c. 1890-1900 Violet Love Knot Brooch

A c. 1890-1900 sentimental brooch, in the form of purple-enameled violets tied together with a pave-set diamond love knot, the stem worked in 14k rose gold. A very similar purple-enameled floral brooch, c. 1890, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (see 2001.330). According to an English Victorian floriography published c.1884, (“Language of Flowers” By Edmund Evans), violets symbolize faithfulness. Paired with the diamond love knot, the present brooch can be understood to convey the message, “faithful love”. The symbolic history of violets stretches back to antiquity: the ancient Greeks considered it a symbol of love and fertility, while the Romans used violets to celebrate the arrival of spring. Its later association with faithfulness is linked to Medieval missals and Gothic Psalter illustrations. During the nineteenth century, violets enjoyed renewed popularity, as they were favored by Napoleon and became a Bonaparte emblem. Violets appeared in a number of paintings, including Manet’s portrait of Berthe Morisot, works by Tissot and J. W. Waterhouse, and numerous Victorian valentines. The painting, ‘Violets, sweet violets’ c. 1906 by John William Godward is for example contemporaneous with the present brooch.
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