by Fonsèque et Olive, Paris, 1889
The brooch is crafted in 18K gold and silver. It is designed as a bunch of four realistically looking grapes made from pâte de verre (frosted glass) hanging from a gold vine. The silver-topped branch is embellished with rose cut diamonds.
An identical grape brooch is illustrated in French Jewelry of the Nineteenth Century by Henri Vever (page 1024). The book was originally published in France in 1906-1908 in three volumes.
The firm of Georges Fonsèque and Emile Olive specialized in naturalistic jewelry in Art Nouveau taste.
A similar brooch but with three grapes is in the collection of the Victoria & Albert museum in London.
Length is 48 mm (1 7/8 in.)
Marked on pin guard with maker’s mark.
