A compelling French tie pin centred with a silver-plated brass medallion, finely die-struck in relief with the profile of a fashionable Belle Époque woman wearing a broad-brimmed hat lavishly adorned with flowers. Comparison with larger contemporary versions of the design bearing the still-unidentified signature “Lévy” reveals the subject as a fumeuse, or female smoker, an element faded from this miniature adaptation. At a time when women smoking in public remained culturally provocative, the subject evoked the independent, bohemian femme fatale recurring throughout Symbolist and Art Nouveau imagery. Translating this distinctly modern image into a gentleman’s accessory, the pin captures the era’s fascination with beauty, transgression and changing female identity.
The pin measures 6 cm in length, and the medallion is 1,4 mm in diameter
In near perfect antique condition. No major visible dents or scratches. Some of the silver-plating has slightly worn off on the medaillion but this is not very noticable. Otherwise Fully cleaned, and ready to wear!
A compelling French tie pin centred with a silver-plated brass medallion, finely die-struck in relief with the profile of a fashionable Belle Époque woman wearing a broad-brimmed hat lavishly adorned with flowers. Comparison with larger contemporary versions of the design bearing the still-unidentified signature “Lévy” reveals the subject as a fumeuse, or female smoker, an element faded from this miniature adaptation. At a time when women smoking in public remained culturally provocative, the subject evoked the independent, bohemian femme fatale recurring throughout Symbolist and Art Nouveau imagery. Translating this distinctly modern image into a gentleman’s accessory, the pin captures the era’s fascination with beauty, transgression and changing female identity.
The pin measures 6 cm in length, and the medallion is 1,4 mm in diameter
In near perfect antique condition. No major visible dents or scratches. Some of the silver-plating has slightly worn off on the medaillion but this is not very noticable. Otherwise Fully cleaned, and ready to wear!
