One of our many new arrivals...
Biedermeier skillfully carved ivory brooch featuring two dogs standing within a flowery framework. Different times bring different opinions and morals. In the first quarter of the 19th century, people's attitudes towards what are now endangered species, due in part to those very attitudes, were markedly different from our own (to put it mildly). We strongly condemn the use of ivory today, but in our trade, we sometimes encounter beautiful antique pieces of ivory, such as this one. And what a beauty it is! The meticulously refined sculpting and engraving are a joy to behold. Just look at the collar holding the dogs together, or their legs! We have never seen such fine work, and to think it has survived nearly 200 years!
This brooch is a typical example of mid-European Biedermeier art. The Biedermeier period refers to an era in Central Europe during which the middle class grew, and the arts appealed to common sensibilities. This historical period spanned from 1815, the year of the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, to 1848, the year of the European revolutions.