Tapered lozenge cabochon and pear-cut amethysts, datura flowers-shaped sculped and engraved mother-of-pearl, light blue enamel, 18k yellow gold (customs mark), circa 1900, signed Lalique

Size/Dimensions: 6.7 x 5.2 cm
Gross weight: 17.9 grams

This delicate brooch, on which three flowers of Datura, also called "magician's herb", stand, is a testimony of the technical virtuosity and the certain lapidary symbolism that Lalique's creations have. Indeed, the artist uses mother-of-pearl to enhance the soft color of amethysts and uses an opalescent green cloisonné enamel to facilitate the transition from gold to iridescent gemstones. An original and inventive artist, Lalique is also a rebellious spirit and hostile to convention. Indeed, behind the appearance of these white flowers of Datura, hides in reality an eminently toxic plant known as poison. It is possible to see it as a metaphor for the ambiguous figure of the femme fatale: both sublime and dangerous for those who dare to get too close. As a true lover of nature, Lalique has bloomed in a particular way the garden of the History of Art from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. His jewelry creations are those of an innovator inspired by his time and perpetuating the past know-how of a conservative profession.

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