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Rare Edouard de Martilly Paris Sapphire and Enamel Lotus Flower Ring

$15,000
Created during the Art Nouveau period in Paris, this sapphire and enamel ring is mounted in 18K gold. The elongated bombé form ring centers a line of round, oval and cushion-shaped sapphires flanked by chased overlapping lotus blossoms on long stems highlighted by blue champlevé enamel. Light and sculptural, this strikingly original design combines expressive naturalism with a proto-modern inclination to abstraction.
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  • Curator's Notes

Item #: R-20782
Artist: Edouard De Martilly
Country: France
Circa: 1903
Dimensions: 1.25" width
Size: 6 (this ring can be sized; please contact the gallery for further information)
Materials: 11 round sapphires (approximate total weight 1.40 carats); 18K Gold
Signed: Unsigned; with French guarantee stamp.
Literature: For a similar ring by de Martilly exhibited in 1903, see The Paris Salons 1895-1914, Jewellery: I: The Designers A-K, by Alistair Duncan, p. 179

Edouard de Martilly was a French artist and designer who briefly created compelling jewelry in the Art Nouveau style. Registering his mark in 1902 as a fabricating jeweler, Martilly maintained his study in the rue Boileau a Auteuil in the 16th arrondissement. In 1903, he exhibited at least fifteen jewels at the Paris Salon. These included arresting and original work of bold naturalism, featuring bats, butterflies, forest scenes, symbolist figures, and strongly stylized foliate devices. Martilly, gifted in multiple media, also created bronze figures. By 1917, attracted to the new art of film making, Martilly collaborated as a set designer in the dramatic comedy "Par La Verité". A contemporary cinema critic described him as a "master" of the art.
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