Comprising a necklace, two bracelets and a pair of earrings

Malachite cameos depicting putti, elegant men and women of Ancient Rome, round and rounded seed pearls, filigree 18k yellow gold (French and French customs marks), with a fitted case, circa 1810

Size/Dimensions: necklace 57.5 cm, pendant 4.8 x 4.1 cm, bracelets 17.5 cm, earrings 4.0 cm
Gross weight: 119.7 grams

Please note that pearls have not been tested for natural origin.

This delicate day parure bears striking similarities to the sets created by jewellers for the Imperial Court, embodying the aesthetic of the Empire style under Napoleon I.

Comparable examples are known, such as the malachite and pearl cameo parure preserved in the collections of the Fondation Napoléon. Characteristic of the Empire style, this parure alternates finely chiselled gold and pearl palmettes with malachite cameos depicting the gods of Olympus. It is an exceptionally rare example of a complete set that has survived intact, including a tiara, hairpins, necklace, brooch, pendant, bracelets, and belt.

Our parure, also complete, consists of a pair of pendant earrings, a medallion necklace, and a pair of bracelets. It is set with 56 malachite cameos, each framed in gold with twisted borders. The cameos, carved in the antique style, depict busts and figures from Greco-Roman mythology, including Venus, goddess of Love and Beauty, surrounded by small cameos featuring putti in various activities. On the necklace, the cameos are interspersed with delicate openwork foliate motifs in gold, adorned with small pearls; on the bracelets, they are punctuated with two pearls. The entire set is preserved in its original heart-shaped case.