Jewellery, Silver and Objects of Vertu

A 22ct gold opal parure by Louis Osman, 1972 and 1973, comprising a hinged torque collar, hinged bangle, brooch, pair of ear pendants and ring, each of organic branching form, supporting graduated oval cabochon opals each claw set above a concave dish mount, the gold with hammered finish, the necklace, earrings, ring and bracelet all hallmarked for London 1972, with maker’s mark ‘LO’, the brooch unmarked, within customised carved yew wood and silver fitted case, collar inner diameter 12cm, bangle inner diameter 6.5cm. £40,000-£60,000


Please note ARR will apply to this lot (Artist’s Resale Rights).

The opals (Australia’s national gemstone) in this suite were acquired as gifts for his wife Dorothy, by Maurice Jenkins from the Perth firm Mazzucchelli’s, over multiple trips to Australia during the late 1960 and 1970s. Mr and Mrs Jenkins first met Louis in 1970, (when she had 11 opals), and they commissioned Louis to mount these into a suite of jewellery. Having agreed the design with the couple, Louis told Mr Jenkins the sizes and numbers of additional opals that he wanted in order to complete the initial commission: a necklace, bracelet, earrings and ring suite, which was completed in 1972. The brooch was added in 1973. Correspondence from Louis discusses how excited he was to be working with opals and how the commission was bringing him out of a creative slump, following a car accident.
Louis took inspiration from everywhere, from the sublime to the mundane - in this case he was inspired, for the concave mounts of the opals, by the humble kitchen teaspoon. The raised claw settings of the opals above the concave ‘bowls’ allow light to pass around the stones, displaying them to their best advantage.
The earrings in this suite are of complimentary but differing designs - a feature Louis often employed in the designs for earrings. In her biography of Louis, Jenny Moore notes: “Louis felt that [the difference between the earrings] emphasised each side of the face as representing a different side of the personality”.
The fitted case subsequently was carved to house the complete suite from a single piece of yew wood taken from the grounds of Canons Ashby. Yew wood is particularly resistant to decay and insect attack. The natural cracks within the wood are inlaid with silver, producing a similar result to the Japanese technique of Kintsugi, in which ceramics are repaired with lacquer and gold dust, highlighting - almost celebrating - the repair.
“Louis never regarded the box for keeping his jewellery in as merely a practical object, but felt that it should enhance the character of the individual piece” - J. Moore (page 118).

An original pen and watercolour design for this suite was sold as part of The Personal Archive of Louis Osman at Noonans on 27 March 2018 (lot 287).




Exhibited:
The Observer Jewellery Exhibition, organised by the Welsh Arts Council, 1973, exhibition catalogue no. 359. A copy of this exhibition catalogue accompanies this lot.
Copies of two media articles (one part illustrated) about this exhibition including the gold opal parure, accompany this lot.
Osman: An exhibition of the Works of Louis Osman, at Canons Ashby, 18 & 19 May 1974, exhibition catalogue no. 117.
Explosion, Talent today: the 650th birthday of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, December 1977, exhibition catalogue no. 209. (part illustrated).
In Celebration of Gold and Silver: An exhibition of exquisite jewellery and magnificent silver made during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, a Goldsmiths’ Company exhibition at Goldsmiths’ Hall, May - July 2002, exhibition catalogue no. 95.



The necklace and brooch also were included in this exhibition’s limited edition of a bound set of 10 postcards of key pieces: one set of these postcards accompanies this lot.

Copies of these catalogues (three dedicated to Dorothy & Maurice Jenkins and of J. Moore’s biography accompany this lot.

This lot is also accompanied by further related correspondence.

The brooch was made approximately six months after the suite and was not taken for hallmarking.
Earrings: lengths 59 and 60mmmain , gross weigh 24.4gm.
Ring: size P, weight 9.7gm.
Bracelet: weight 76.8gm.
Necklace: weight approximately 246gm.
Brooch is unmarked, measures 77.5mm, weight 60.6gm.

The suite is set with 46 graduated milky opals, well matched, with a good even play of colour throughout; multiple examples have cracks/fractures, some with chips or significant wear. The largest opal measures approximately 18.4 x 13.95 x 5mm.

This lot is accompanied by hand written correspondence between Louis Osman and Mrs Jenkins regarding the commission of this suite:
A quotation, dated 5 December 1970.
A list of further opals to be sourced.
A letter confirming receipt of 11 opals and requesting interim payment for design, dated 11 May 1971.
A sketch design of brooch, using 11 opals.
A letter acknowledging receipt of further opals and requesting an interim payment, dated 6 January 1972.
A compliments slip for interim payment, dated 27 October 1972.
An insurance valuation, dated 18 December 1972.
A letter acknowledging receipt of payment for brooch and further details, dated 25 July 1973.
A copy of a letter referring to the opal suite, including possible loan to the Welsh Arts Council exhibition, dated 13 August 1973.
A letter confirming that Osman is holding the opal suite, dated 14 August 1973.
An invitation to the Osman exhibition, at Canons Ashby, with hand written note verso, referring to the opal suite, 1974.
An updated insurance valuation, reflecting rising gold costs and the addition of a ring and brooch to the suite, dated 13 June 1974.
An invitation to an Exhibition of the works of Louis Osman, at Canons Ashby, with accompanying note, 1974.
A typed valuation including the opal suite, dated 15 December 1976.
A hand written valuation, including the opal suite, dated 26 April 1978.

Also included in this lot are:
An exhibition catalogue for The Observer Jewellery Exhibition, organised by the Welsh Arts Council, with dedication by Louis Osman, together with a copy of Country Life September 1973, which includes a relevant article (p745) and a further press cutting from The Retail Jeweller, September 1973.
An exhibition catalogue for Osman: An exhibition of the Works of Louis Osman at Canons Ashby, with personal dedication, together with an original related signed letter from Osman.
An exhibition catalogue for Celebration in Gold and Silver, together with original related paperwork.
An exhibition catalogue for Explosion, with personal dedication from Osman, and further original related paperwork.
An exhibition catalogue for The Louis Osman gold exhibition, held at Goldsmiths’ Hall, February-March 1971, with personal dedication from Osman.
A copy of the biography: Louis Osman, by Jenny Moore.