French jewelry designer Georges Fouquet

French jewelry designer Georges Fouquet
Fouquet Jewelry House lasted only 76 years. Three generations of the family have changed. The founder of the company was Alfons Fouquet (1828–1911), who in 1860 opened his first store. A decade will pass and the company will become known not only in France, but also in Europe. In 1895, the management of the company will go to his son – Georges Fouquet (1862–1957).
The son of Alfons Fouquet (1828-1911), Georges Fouquet, following his father developed the ideas of art nouveau. By the end of the 19th century he organized the production of amazing jewelry with stained glass enamel. A hereditary jeweler, Georges Fouquet had two things: excellent taste and commercial flair. And when Georges decided to separate from his father and create his own jewelry brand, he turned to the creations of Alphonse Mucha. He was subdued by the beautiful jewelry that the artist depicted on his canvases and theater posters.
They started working together in 1900, when Fouquet recently opened his own jewelry workshop. Preparing to participate in an exhibition in Paris, he asked Mucha to make sketches for his work. At that time, Mucha had already established himself in Europe as an artist and creator of promotional products. In particular, female images were especially popular – virgins of Slavic and Persian appearance, with mysterious looks, elusively crafty faces and shining hair.

For the Paris World Exhibition in 1900, Alphonse Mucha and Georges Fouquet designed a collection in the style of Art Nouveau. These jewelry was very different from the traditional jewelry designs of the time, but the public and critics accepted them very favorably. Fouquet Hall at the Exhibition was a huge success.

For this exhibition, Fouquet received a gold medal, which for a long time sealed the union of the painter and the jeweler.

Decorations of this creative tandem are exotic and picturesque. Very often, the design includes plant motifs. Ornaments become very complex, sometimes you can even call them artsy.

Gold rings with floral ornaments, hairpins in the form of butterflies, and of course, brooches and pendants with medallions, which depicted the unique fantastic beauties of Alphonse Mucha.

Lotuses and orchids were most often found in the floral ornaments of these jewelry. Thus, lotuses depicted in the ancient Egyptian manner fell on pins and hair pins, and orchids turned into brooches of mother of pearl, pearl and enamel.

The Medea bracelet is one of the most striking, extravagant and amazing jewelry created by Alfons Mucha and Georges Fouquet for Sarah Bernhardt. The actress put on a bracelet for performances when she played Medea and Cleopatra.

Fouquet made the golden bracelet “Medea” in 1899. The snake head is made using cloisonne enamel technique, creating a scaly surface. In addition, he used rubies, opals and diamonds. The bracelet was very flexible thanks to a hidden hinge system that allowed the arm to move freely.

Noteworthy, Georges Fouquet’s Jewelry store – a gem performed by Alphonse Mucha. He developed the design of the jewelry store in 1901. Besides, Leon Farg made stained-glass windows and Auguste Seiss made the sculptures for his shop.

French jewelry designer Georges Fouquet