Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

A brooch by David Anderson, late 19th century, and another by Georg Jensen, number 339, mid 20th century, the first of circular form, with applied entwined wirework detail, the reverse stamped ‘-830-, David Andersen, Christiania’, the second of abstract ‘Splash’ outline, designed by Henning Koppel for Georg Jensen, bearing post 1945 company mark, numbered ‘339’, stamped ‘Sterling, Denmark’ and ‘GJLd’ and bearing UK import marks, together with two further brooches, one a copy of a Georg Jensen tulip bar brooch, with spurious marks, first brooch diameter 38.5mm, second brooch length 59.5mm. £300-400

David Andersen founded his gold and silversmith company in Christiania (now Oslo) in 1876. The firm is still in existence and remains family run. It is most popularly known for its enamelled jewellery from the mid-late 20th century. David Andersen’s son Arthur took the reigns of the company in 1901, upon his father’s death and instituted various changes, including the introduction of a hypen to the name, becoming David-Andersen. This confirms that this brooch is of late 19th century brooch, and produced whilst the company’s founder was still at the helm.

The brooch is part of the movement of Archaeological Revival in jewellery design in the late 19th century. Within this coverall term falls jewellery inspired by different archaeological sources from all over Europe and the Middle East. The Danish led the way in approaching archaeology as a science and claim credit for the introduction of the classification of prehistory in the categories used today (namely Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age) and the theory and use of stratigraphy. Danish leaders in this field, Christian Jurgensen Thomsen and J J A Worsaae produced influential works full of engravings of Bronze Age, Iron age and Viking antiquities which provided inspiration for contemporary jewellers. Following the Dano-Prussian war of 1864, there was a resurgence in nationalism in Denmark, and sympathy in other countries such as the UK, which was reflected in Archaeological Revival jewellery which took inspiration from the metal and leather work of the Viking period.

An almost identical brooch to this one forms part of a suite held in the Museum Fur Angewandte Kunst, Vienna, Bi 536.

For further reading see C Gere et al. The Art of the Jeweller: A catalogue of the Hull Grundy Gift to the British Museum, Jewellery, Engraved Gems, and Goldsmiths work, British Museum Publications, 1984, entry 994, specifically fig 100. Also C Gere and J Rudoe, Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria, A mirror to the world, British Musuem Press, 2010, pages 437-443.