A Victorian Peacock in Diamonds, Brooch or Hair Comb, circa 1860 to 1870

Victorian peacock jewel, circa 1860 to 1870, with a detachable mounting so it can be worn either as a brooch or as a hair comb. Caught mid display, the tail reads as a fan of rose cut diamonds and senaille chips, pricked with red and green accents, with faint traces of blue enamel still visible, and finished with a lustrous pearl drop. A charming piece of period theatre, with the slightly puzzling history of later fittings and alterations at the back. Attributed to Gustave Baugrand, unconfirmed.

Jewellery Type
convertible brooch and hair comb (detachable comb), with later stand element

Condition
good condition, with visible traces of past repairs and alterations, including at the rear where the tail elements meet the central section, and at various points to the reverse behind the green stone settings.
more info on our condition scale

Country of origin
France, probably (attribution discussed below), with later alterations and re assaying noted.

Style
Victorian. The term Victorian is used for the decorative arts and jewellery produced during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 to 1901). In jewellery it covers a wide range of expressions, from revival styles to naturalistic and exotic influences, with changing tastes across the century.
See also: Victorian
more info on styles

Style specifics
The Grand Victorian Period. The reign of Queen Victoria (1837 to 1901) is often divided into three broad phases: the Romantic period (1837 to 1860), the Grand period (1860 to 1880), and the Late or Aesthetic period (1880 to 1901).

We consider this jewel to belong to the Grand Victorian period.

In these decades, jewellery could be richly ornamental and technically ambitious, with a strong taste for naturalistic motifs and for surface effects created through a combination of diamonds, coloured stones, enamel, and contrasting metals.

Period
circa 1860 to 1870
Events & facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era.

Source of inspiration
Mother Nature (naturalistic bird motif)

Theme
Peacock - A naturalistic peacock depicted in full, with particular emphasis on the tail display and feather "eye" patterning rendered through diamonds and coloured accents.

Material 18K, 14K yellow and red gold, and silver (touchstone tested). Silver is used to the front where the diamonds are set, with gold to the reverse, as was common for diamond set jewellery of this period. The presence of both 14K and 18K gold in the same jewel is less typical and is discussed further below.
more info on precious metals

Technique
silver topped setting for the diamond decoration (rose cuts and senailles), with coloured stone accents and a pearl. Traces of blue enamel remain visible on the body.

Extra information
As presented today, the peacock element can be fitted either with a brooch pin or with a detachable comb, allowing it to be worn as a brooch or as a hair ornament. The reverse shows clear traces of past repairs and alterations. The screw receiver (the "nut") fixed to the reverse of the peacock is very likely original, whereas the screw fittings (the "bolts") on the brooch pin and on the comb are clearly later, and they do not appear to match each other. The pin assembly carries a Dutch re assay mark (585 and Z1).

Diamonds
180 rose cut diamonds and senailles . A senaille is a simplified rose cut diamond, a small diamond chip with a few polished facets. No individual or total diamond weight is available, which is normal in our trade for rose cuts and senailles, as the stones are not removed from their settings.

All diamonds, regardless of their size or shape, in our vintage and antique jewellery are verified as 100% natural by the IJGC laboratory.

Precious stones
red stones, a mix of red gemstones (unconfirmed) and red strass (also called paste)

Fifteen green stones, a mix of emeralds (unconfirmed) and green strass, set as accents

One (most probably natural) pearl

All colour stone weights are approximate since stones are not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting.
It is a very common practice to treat gemstones to intensify their clarity or colour. The item in question has not been tested in this regard.

Birthstones
Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April , and pearl for June . If the green stones include emeralds as suspected, emerald is the birthstone for May . If the red stones include rubies as suspected, ruby is the birthstone for July.
more info on birthstones

More background information
• Peacock jewels in mid nineteenth century France, including the taste for jewelled birds in the Second Empire period.
• Comparable peacock brooches: Diva Antwerp (DMK051) and related examples discussed in Henri Vever, French Jewelry of the Nineteenth Century (English ed., Purcell translation).
• In that same volume (p. 772), a Maison Baugrand pendant dated 1869, set with diamonds and pearls, offers a clear visual parallel for the unusually fine, repeated small diamond mounts, including S shaped pierced borders framing the diamond work, seen in the peacock’s tail.
• The Exposition Universelle of 1867 and the circle of Paris jewellers associated with naturalistic and enamelled work; the author notes that Baugrand won the cross of the Légion d'Honneur for his remarkable display in 1867.
• Baugrand is treated repeatedly in the book; the index lists numerous references to Gustave Baugrand and the Baugrand house.

Brand
Attributed to Gustave Baugrand (unconfirmed; see Attribution notes below)

Attribution notes
The attribution to Gustave Baugrand is based on published comparanda and literature references, and on construction details. In the absence of a signature or a maker’s mark (the identifying mark registered to an individual maker or workshop), it cannot be stated with certainty. The mixed metal construction and the presence of both 14K and 18K gold, together with evidence of later repairs, refitting, and Dutch reassay marks on a later brooch fitting, are part of this assessment.

Hallmarks
Dutch reassay marks on the later brooch fitting: 585 and Z1. These marks relate to the later pin assembly, not to the original peacock element. Other components are unmarked; metals are touchstone tested.
more info on hallmarks

Dimensions
Peacock as a brooch: 5.6 x 4.6 cm (2.20 x 1.81 in). Peacock with comb extended: 4.6 x 18.8 cm (1.81 x 7.40 in). Height on stand with comb angled: 7.0 cm (2.76 in).
see picture with a ruler in millimetres and inches

Weight
31,60 gram (20.32 dwt)

Adin Reference number:
26020-0146

Copyright photography
Adin, fine antique jewellery

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