Pendant, c. 1919

The making of jewelry was a core business of the Wiener Werkstätte from its founding in 1903. This pendant was designed around 1919 by architect, designer and graphic artist Dagobert Peche (1887–1923). It consists of an oval medallion of lapis lazuli and silver. The black-speckled blue gem provides the scenic background against which a sprouting plant stylized in the spirit of Art Deco is rendered in silver. Placed in the center of the oval, its trunk bifurcates into two double-arched curving branches ending in arrowhead-shaped leaves and drooping down low on the sides. The marbling of the gemstone gives its surface a lively character. With a metal eye attached at the top, the pendant can be worn on a chain.

MR, 2021