Gold set mother of pearl brooch

J M Wendt
Australia
26 June 1830 – 7 September 1917

Gold set mother of pearl brooch
c 1865
gold, mother of pearl
Currently on display, Gallery 2
Place made
Adelaide
Medium
gold, mother of pearl
Dimensions
6.5 x 5.8 x 2.5 cm
Credit line
Gift of Joan Beer, Kathy Crosby, Aaron Gwinnett, Dymphna James, Tom Pearce, Lady Porter, Jill Russell, Dr Joe Verco, Rosa Vorrasi and Marion Wells through the Art Gallery of South Australia Foundation Collectors Club 2016
Accession number
20167A27A
Signature and date
Stamped on the reverse "J.M.W". Not dated.
Media category
Jewellery
Collection area
Australian decorative arts and design
Image credit
Photo: PETA NORTH

  • In the second half of the nineteenth century, South Australian craftspeople produced extraordinary jewellery in innovative designs using a range of precious materials. This mother-of-pearl brooch is by one of the great masters of colonial South Australian gold and silver design, Joachim Matthias Wendt. Born in Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, in 1854 he immigrated to Adelaide, where he established an enduring and productive business, first at Pirie Street and then in Rundle Street.

    Wendt uses a naturally shaped mother-of-pearl shell to create this beautiful mid-1860s brooch, which is formal in appearance, yet simple in design. The granulated intricate gold frame is balanced by the simplicity of the shell, probably sourced locally, and reflects the international trend for naturalism in jewellery during this period.

     

    Rebecca Evans, Curator of Decorative Arts & Design

  • [Book] AGSA 500.