Sotheby's is set to present one of the most important collections of French jewelry the auction house has ever handled, titled "A Legacy of Elegance," this December. This sale is "a love letter to Parisian jewelry" and features nearly 60 pieces from French masters, including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, and notable works by Suzanne Belperon and Joel Arthur Rosenthal (JAR). The collection, which is "encyclopedic of French jewelry of the 20th and 21st centuries," is being framed by Sotheby's as a landmark event that truly establishes jewelry as an art form, a goal the firm is often engaged in a "battle" to prove.
The pieces, which are regarded as having been acquired "not simply as a piece of adorment but as a work of art," center on Belperon and JAR, who are viewed as artists who "transcend jewelry," standing in the same vein as figures like Picasso or Warhol. Both designers were "quite maverick in their thinking". Belperon, working from the 1930s to the 1970s, used unusual materials like rough crystal, amethyst, and chalcedony, creating soft, sculptural pieces while others adhered to geometric Art Deco forms. JAR, an American working in Paris from the 1970s into today, drew inspiration from the 19th century while creating a new vision for jewelry, often blackening the metal and using colored pavé stones in an almost "painterly way".
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A standout piece featured by Sotheby's is a fan brooch by Belperon, a frequent motif of hers, which usually incorporates rock crystal and diamonds. This specific version is unique because it features a large old mine diamond at the center and continues with more old mine diamonds along the tips of the fan, creating an opulence that is immediately identifiable as her work. Belperon famously never signed her work, stating, "My style is my signature," which is an incredible achievement given that her pieces still look modern today. Sotheby's benefits from a close relationship with the House of Belperon, which is a "living house," allowing them to study an archive of 9,300 designs to inform their work and ensure authenticity.
Bringing this collection to auction takes months, and Sotheby's faced the challenge of determining "how are we going to tell the story" and present the pieces in a way that is "compelling exciting and new". Sotheby's made the unusual decision to mix the Belperon and JAR pieces in the catalog rather than grouping them by designer, as they realized this would create a necessary "dialogue between the two" artists and prevent the presentation from becoming "a little chunky" or "too dissident". The order in which the pieces are featured in the catalog is crucial, as that dictates the order they are sold on the auction block, requiring a careful "rhythm to an auction".
Sotheby's has been exceptionally aggressive in promoting the collection, ensuring global exposure by traveling the exhibition to Paris, Los Angeles, Geneva, Singapore, Taipei, and Hong Kong. This extensive traveling is vital because truly appreciating these objects requires clients to "hold it," "feel the weight," and examine the details up close, as it is "more than just about trying it on". During the research phase, Sotheby's made significant discoveries, such as locating a ruby and diamond clip brooch in a 1937 advertisement for Van Cleef & Arpels. Furthermore, their jeweler noted that the rubies in the clip brooch were set using the rare "mystery setting technique" with cushion cuts, which is highly unusual compared to the typical caliber cut stones found in this style of jewel. Sotheby's is determined not only to promote the collection but to "preserve it in a way," as these pieces will all go on to new homes, and this will be the "last time it's seen as a collection".
