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174
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174. * GOLD RUBY MAKARA HEAD BANGLE (KADA)
See original version (French)
174
-
174. * GOLD RUBY MAKARA HEAD BANGLE (KADA)
See original version (French)
Estimate €6,000 - €8,000
Voluntary lot
Description
174. * GOLD RUBY MAKARA HEAD BANGLE (KADA)
Entirely crafted from repoussé gold, hinged on the reverse, finished with two makara heads with ruby-set eyes; the central orb features a screw-opening mechanism and is engraved ‘Eugénie’, 1869, French import hallmark for 14-carat gold (585 ‰), internal circumference approximately 21.0 cm, gross weight 96.95 g.
According to tradition, this bracelet is said to have been presented by Emperor Napoleon III to Empress Eugénie in 1869, a piece in the Orientalist style then in vogue at the height of the Second Empire. The 1860s saw the French court develop a passion for the arts and motifs of India and the colonial world as a whole, a craze fuelled in particular by the 1867 World’s Fair in Paris, where jewellers and craftsmen from around the world showcased their creations. Empress Eugénie, known for her passion for jewellery and for her role in shaping the Second Empire style, was particularly fond of pieces combining European craftsmanship with exotic influences – a taste that this bracelet, with its Indian-inspired makara motif, would have perfectly exemplified.
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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