Sculptures Precieuses et Bijoux de Braque

Georges Braque was a major 20th-century French painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and printmaker. At the age of 79, Braque turned his attention to jewelry. He teamed up with master jeweler Baron Heger de Löwenfeld to turn 110 gouache maquettes into intricately textured gold sculptures inlaid with precious stones. The collection, inspired by Greek mythology, incorporates themes of flight and metamorphosis. The two artists worked so closely together that Braque referred to De Löwenfeld as the “continuation of my hand.”

This 1971 catalog reflects the first New York exhibition of the collection. The catalog contains short essays about the collaboration between Braque and De Löwenfeld. Details of their artistic and business relationship are included, such as translated text of the contract between the two, which limited the production of each sculpture by the jeweler to 75 pieces, as well as specifications about the use of Braque’s signature. There is also a checklist of the bijoux and sculpture, select images of the jewelry and maquettes, and an itinerary of the collection’s travels from 1963 to 1970, complete with the numbers of visitors at each exhibition.