A rare Renaissance revival bracelet by Jules Wièse, depicting six Renaissance heads in silver, within gold frames decorated with green enamel, mounted in silver and gold.
Maker’s mark of Jules Wièse and French assay mark.
Paris, circa 1855.

Dimensions :
18,7 x 3,5 x 1,25 cm.

Literature:
CHAZAL G. & CHAZAL M., Bijoux Parisiens : French Jewelry form the Palais Royal, Paris, Memphis, Tennessee The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, 2013, p. 50, cat. 31

‘Jules Wièse (1818-1890) learned the art of engraving in Germany. Coming to Paris in 1839, he worked in the Froment-Meurice firm before opening his own workshop in 1844 on the Rue de la Tixanderie. Awarded a first-class medal at the 1855 Universal Exposition in Paris, Wièse was described in the official report as a ‘Goldsmith and jeweler of the finest school and already of high repute, magnified by the present exhibit…revealing an artistic sensibility and an aesthetic awareness worthy of the plaudits of the jury ‘.
In his history of French jewelry, Vever singled out a work by Wièse : ‘a bracelet composed of gold medallions chained together, with other medallions containing raised Renaissance heads in silver, enclosed in enamel ornamentation of great artistic merit.‘
Wièse’s ca.1855 Bracelet (cat.31) was inspired by the Italian Renaissance, particularly the busts by Lorenzo Ghiberti that surround the north doors of the baptistery of Florence Cathedral. On Wièse’s bracelet, finely carved heads emerge from beautiful emerald-green engraved enamel. Faithful to the Froment-Meurice style, Wièse maintained a fondness for the stylistic forms of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages throughout his career. His work would be recognised by a gold medal at the 1862 Universal Exposition in London, and a bronze medal in 1867 in Paris. His son Louis (1852-1923) succeeded him in 1880 and continued to follow his father’s style.’
(CHAZAL G. & CHAZAL M., Bijoux Parisiens, p.45 & 49)