Les Poissons Jumeaux by Line Vautrin, Gilt Bronze Necklace
View Similar Items
Les Poissons Jumeaux by Line Vautrin, Gilt Bronze Necklace
About the Item
- Creator:Line Vautrin (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 5.12 in (13 cm)Diameter: 4.89 in (12.4 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950-1959
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Signed by stamping “L.V.” and “LINE VAUTRIN” on two lines Very good original condition.
- Seller Location:Brussels, BE
- Reference Number:Seller: ZF201stDibs: LU2994328030372
Line Vautrin
Celebrated as the “poetess of metal” by Vogue magazine, designer Line Vautrin’s provocative works, which span furniture and jewelry, are characterized by fanciful forms and technical excellence. An audacious decorative artist and intellectual during a time when women were expected to fall into traditional roles, her inspirational designs show her passion for literature, wordplay and mythological allegory.
Born in 1914, Vautrin possessed a sense of curiosity and keen observational skills that led her to start creating at an early age. A talented autodidact, she taught herself to work with metal while spending time in her family’s bronze foundry. Vautrin had already mastered the skills of casting, carving, gilding and polishing bronze by the time she was in her early teens, and introduced her first line of jewelry when she was only twenty years old, offering her unique brooches, belt clasps and buttons to a select group of customers. In 1937, Vautrin helmed a small booth at the Paris International Exposition, where she gained some notoriety for her handcrafted accessories. Around the same time, Vautrin worked briefly for Elsa Schiaparelli, a like-minded fashion designer whose achievements propelled her onto the cover of Time magazine in 1934.
Vautrin opened a modest boutique near the Champs-Élysées in the late 1930s. During World War II, she created playful and sophisticated necklaces, powder boxes, earrings and other items that gave her clientele a welcome respite from wartime hardships. There was great demand for Vautrin’s work, and she opened a larger shop on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1946. Shortly thereafter, she opened her own atelier in Paris’s then run-down Marais district with her husband, interior decorator Jacques Armand Bonnaud. The neighborhood would later become world-famous for its boutiques and designer shops.
Vautrin’s boundless curiosity led her to constantly experiment with new materials and processes. In 1955, she perfected her technique with a new form of cellulose acetate resin, which she patented under the name Talosel. Vautrin used this material extensively to create complicated mirrored inlays, which became one of her signature motifs.
Throughout her life, Vautrin played with literary and religious iconography in her designs, drawing inspiration from common aphorisms, ancient world mythologies and alchemical principles. Her passion for symbology and the written word is reflected in her work, which often features intricate lettering and carefully rendered shapes and figures. Vautrin's pieces were imbued with her own sense of humor and love of fantasy.
In 1969, Vautrin closed her shop, and, alongside her daughter, Marie-Laure Bonnaud-Vautrin, opened a craft school to teach her innovative techniques to aspiring artists. Vautrin retired in 1980 but continued to create art from her apartment up until her death in 1997. Her individualism earned her a place among the most iconic creators of mid-century jewelry and decorative objects. Actress Brigitte Bardot and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent became notable collectors of her work.
In 1992, Vautrin was recognized for her work in developing new decorative techniques by the Société d'Encouragement aux Métiers d’Art (later the Institut National des Métiers d’Art). Her designs were also celebrated by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which held a retrospective of her works in 1999.
Find vintage Line Vautrin mirrors, decorative objects and collectibles on 1stDibs.
- Ramses by Line Vautrin - Gilt bronze braceletBy Line VautrinLocated in Brussels, BE“Ramses” Gilt bronze bracelet enhanced with red enamel by Line Vautrin. Above each link depicting a serekh, a monumental palace door, a falcon and a sleeping falcon alternately. (Hor...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze, Enamel
- Flèche et Carquois by Line Vautrin, Pair of Gilt Bronze EarringsBy Line VautrinLocated in Brussels, BEAbout Flèche et Carquois (Arrow and Quiver) by Line Vautrin Rare pair of gilt bronze earrings. One of the earrings represents an arrow which is placed on the side of the ear and gi...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Vache Grasse, Vache Maigre by Line Vautrin, Pair of Gilt Bronze BroochesBy Line VautrinLocated in Brussels, BEPair of gilt bronze brooches. The first represents a lean cow in a medallion, the second a fat cow. Allusion to the fact that cows lose weight whe...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Si tous les gars du monde… by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Brussels, BESi tous les gars du monde… (If all the guys in the world…), by Line Vautrin. Gilt bronze brooch representing a round of 14 children in long dresses. Based on a stroll (1897) by Paul ...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Saute-Mouton (Leapfrog) by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Brussels, BESaute-Mouton (Leapfrog), by Line Vautrin. Large gilded bronze choker necklace decorated with five rams and a ram’s head. The 5 rams are decorated with white enamel. Signed by stampin...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze, Enamel
- Armenian Alphabet by Line Vautrin, Gilt Bronze CompactBy Line VautrinLocated in Brussels, BELine Vautrin was inspired by the Armenian alphabet to create this very pretty compact whose lid and reverse are entirely carved with the characters o...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- Early Gilt Bronze Necklace by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA gilt bronze necklace with chain and a square plaque on the subject of "Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden" with apple tree in the center, designed and made by Line Vautrin in her e...Category
Vintage 1930s French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Gilt Bronze Brooch by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA gilt bronze brooch "Moise ou la Traversee du Desert" by French Jeweler Line Vautrin, circa 1940s. The patinated surface features amazing details illustrating the biblical story of Moses crossing the desert out of Egypt...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Frech Gilt and Silvered Necklace "Le Bélier" by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA cast bronze necklace titled " "Le Bélier" (the Ram) by French Parisin art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997). The ram necklace and its variations were con...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Articulated Gilt Bronze Brooch Le Travail Dominant Le Mond by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA three-part articulated gilt bronze brooch named "Le Travail Dominant le Mond" by French Parisian art jewelry and sculpture Line Vautrin (1913-1997...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Gilt Bronze Reliquary Pendant by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA piece of wonderful jewelry by Line Vautrin designed in 1941 on the subject of St Foi, a child martyr on the early fourth century and the patron saint of prinsoers, in a rare form of a reliquary...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- French Gilt Bronze Brooch by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA circular shape brooch in gilt bronze by French art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997), circa 1940s-1950s. It depicts what appears to be figures of saints on a crossed background with...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze