Set with an elegant 18K rose gold and white gold crescent mo - Lot 17

Set with an elegant 18K rose gold and white gold crescent moon brooch, entirely set with a line of falling faceted oval rubies, like the two lines of old-cut and rose-cut diamonds framing and emphasizing the brooch. The safety pin, modified later, is in 18K yellow gold. Probably convertible (system missing). Foreign work from the second half of the 19th century Gross weight: 20.57 g Diameter: 58 mm In a case made by E DE WASLE (?), 30 rue la Rousse, 44 (?), BRUSSELS Literature: The crescent, a lunar symbol very much in vogue in the second half of the 19th century, was often associated with femininity, protection and power. This model is distinguished here by its large size (58mm diameter) and the addition of natural rubies whose deep red contrasts magnificently with the brilliance of the diamonds, perfectly embodying the refined aesthetic and artistic sensibility of the period. Highly prized in aristocratic and bourgeois circles, a beautiful brooch often adorned the bodices or hats of elegant ladies, testifying to the taste for celestial symbols and naturalistic inspirations that dominated jewelry at the time. To illustrate our point: see the reproduction of the oil on canvas, Invitation à la valse, by Francesco Miralles Galaup, in 1895, Circulo del Liceo, Barcelona, Spain. Expert : Laura Mongéni