This big beautiful antique brooch in shimmering sterling is the epitome of art nouveau design, featuring a lovely lady framed by her flowing tresses and sinuous flowers. Art nouveau was an artistic movement from the 1890s through 1910s that looked to nature for inspiration and is exemplified by undulating lines, giving the feeling of movement. It was a reaction against staid academic art and the overdone and eclectic Victorian decor. The term, meaning "New Art," was first used in the 1880s, but was popularized by the opening in 1895 of the Maison de l'Art Nouveau, an art gallery in Paris.
The brooch has a "C' clasp, so-called because the pin is held closed by a simple curved piece of metal; this type of clasp is generally found on jewelry from the 1850s through the 1910s, before the safety clasp came into wide use. On the back, the pin carries the intertwined "U" and "B" mark of Unger Brothers, surrounded by the words "Sterling 925 Fine."
Unger Brothers was founded by Herman Unger and his four brothers in the early 1870s. The company is renown for its intricate and beautifully crafted art nouveau sterling jewelry, as well as dressing table sets , perfume bottles, pocket knives, cigarette cases, belt buckles, and other luxury ware. Unger Brother was sold in 1919.
