Portrait Brooch

Jewelry

-

anonymous...

Name/Title

Portrait Brooch

Entry/Object ID

2021.85.85

Category

American Art, 1800 to 1945

Acquisition

Accession

2021.85

Source or Donor

Enamel Arts Foundation

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Crocker Art Museum, gift of Enamel Arts Foundation Collection

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Molli Juin

Role

Artist

Date made

1930 - 1940

Time Period

20th Century

Lexicon

Legacy Lexicon

Object Name

Web-Tag-People

Dimensions

Diameter

1-13/16 in

Material

Enamel on copper, Gilt silver

Location

Category

Display

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Website Medium

Label

Enamel on copper and gilt silver

General Notes

Note Type

Cataloging Note

Note

Retrieved from the Enamel Arts Foundation website: [https://www.enamelarts.org/brooch-11/] At first glance, it is easy to assume that this is a brooch made to mimic the late 19th century revival of Limoges-style figurative painting popular during the 15th and 16th centuries in France. The taste for such objects was prevalent at the turn of the 20th century. However, upon closer inspection, the stylistic differences become more apparent. Molli Juin did utilize the Limoges-style (painterly) technique to execute the image. The face is masterfully rendered in fleshy tones with attention to highlights and shadows. The dress and headscarf are executed in transparent enamels over silver foil. What distinguishes it from others is that the portrait appears to be of a person from the 1930s dressed in a fanciful outfit that is not epoque-specific. The deep aubergine background enhances the central image. The plaque is mounted in a gilt-silver setting that is typical of the Viennese style with which the artist was very familiar. [IR 06/25/2025]