Early 19th c Swiss Enamel Amatory Hairwork Pendant

A large c. 1810 Swiss amatory swivel pendant, featuring a detailed hairwork rendering of chain-bound flaming hearts, atop the monogram ‘MJ’ and framed by cupid’s arrows, the solid 18k yellow gold setting with geometric enamel inlay. The pendant is reversible: both sides are fully decorated with contrasting designs; the central glass compartment is double sided and swivels within the frame along a pinned mechanism. The reverse side contains a slightly later c. 1840 portrait miniature of a girl, later married to this pendant (please see condition report for more details). Measuring 122 mm long and weighing 51 grams, the pendant is large, substantial, and well-made. Another early 19th c lozenge shaped pendant in the British Museum, with similar geometric enamel inlay in an identical color palette of blue-black-white, is attributed by the museum to Geneva, Switzerland (1978,1002.516). The present pendant features very fine and meticulous hairwork; details such as the flames above the hearts were executed by mixing masticated hair with sepia watercolor and gum arabic, while elements like the monograms were rendered with curled strands of gum-bound hair. The motifs are entirely amatory: the pair of flaming hearts represent passionate, burning love, struck by the arrows of cupid, and forever bound by an interlocking chain representing stability and strength. An early 19th c French or Swiss lozenge-shaped pendant featuring amatory hairwork with a similar compositional layout is in the State Historical Museum, Moscow (ОК 13029).
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