Necklace thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Necklace

ca. 1915 - 1927 (made), ca. 1912 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Georg Jensen's flair for creating innovative jewellery in silver dates back to the very early Twentieth Century and the Danish style known as 'skønvirke' or 'aesthetic work' of which he was a pioneer. The style is characerised by soft, organic forms - highly stylised but often inspired by plants - in hand-beaten silver, with cabochon stones adding colour and contrast. This necklace is set with moonstone and labradorite in a subtle harmony of grey, but other versions would have been made and one has survived set with coral to very different effect. The design dates from around 1912 and would have been in production for some years. The marks on the reverse indicate that this variant was made a little later, probably around 1915 although possibly as late as the 1920s. The marks also indicate that it was imported into France rather than sold in Denmark.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Brief description
Necklace, silver set with moonstones and labradorites, designed by Georg Jensen, Denmark, ca. 1915 - 1927
Physical description
Necklace, consisting of silver, moonstones and labradorites, with stylised botanical design. It consists of eight rounded plaques identically patterned with soft leaf-like curves and each set with an oval moonstone. Between these and connected by flattened rectangular links, hang larger elements, perhaps representing curling petals, each terminating with an oval labradorite. The necklace fastens with a chain at the back.
Dimensions
  • Unfastened length: 425mm
  • From top of moonstone plaque to lower edge of labradorite height: 37mm
  • Depth: 6mm
Marks and inscriptions
GI / GJ / IMPORTE DE DANEMARK / 9 / 830 (GI mark is the one in use from c. 1915 to 1927 / French import mark / design number / silver content)
Credit line
Given by Gulderen Tekvar
Summary
Georg Jensen's flair for creating innovative jewellery in silver dates back to the very early Twentieth Century and the Danish style known as 'skønvirke' or 'aesthetic work' of which he was a pioneer. The style is characerised by soft, organic forms - highly stylised but often inspired by plants - in hand-beaten silver, with cabochon stones adding colour and contrast. This necklace is set with moonstone and labradorite in a subtle harmony of grey, but other versions would have been made and one has survived set with coral to very different effect. The design dates from around 1912 and would have been in production for some years. The marks on the reverse indicate that this variant was made a little later, probably around 1915 although possibly as late as the 1920s. The marks also indicate that it was imported into France rather than sold in Denmark.
Collection
Accession number
M.10-2012

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Record createdMarch 30, 2012
Record URL
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