About this lot

Description

A pearl set lover's eye brooch, the rectangular painting depicting a blue eye under a delicately arched brow and a lock of curled chestnut hair, glazed and collet set within a seed pearl border on a concave mount, closed back, rose metal tests for 9ct gold, length 3.1cm, cased Other Notes: Lover's eyes were the mood jewellery of the late 1700s and early 1800s. The miniatures were popularised by a scandalous affair between the Prince of Wales, later crowned King George IV of England, and a widowed commoner named Maria Fitzherbert. Despite disapproval from the court, the two wed in secret and in 1785, commissioned portraits of their eyes as discreet and intimate tokens of affection. Once their story leaked to the public, however, lover’s eyes became en vogue among the privileged classes. This piece is in reasonable condition: the painting is delicately done, fresh and bright, its crystal glazing clean and not scratched; the collet is not quite even and its gold is different from the mount, into which it fits snugly along the sides, though there are very small gaps at the ends. The seed pearls are well-matched for size, but variable in colour and condition; all would benefit from a careful clean with a fine dry cloth. The mount has had some repair work, notably to the hinge, also the hook clasp has been resoldered in place, and the pin is possibly a replacement and has a crack at its base.The opinion of our experts is divided as to the age of this piece: aspects are certainly right for a Georgian lace pin, but the rigid geometry of the front design and the style of the painting appear perhaps to be more modern; it is certainly stylistically unusual. 

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