After pulsating to the rhythm of the Summer Olympics, the hearts of the French are ready to vibrate to "sport" once again from August 28 with the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games.
An opportunity for us, like the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris - which is currently exhibiting " Fashion in Motion #2 "to tell you more about the link between jewelry and sport.
Catalog cover for the exhibition " Paris, Mode, Sports ", Collectif, Paris Musées, 2024.
Of course, we'll be talking about the Olympic gold medal, which Spoiler Alert hasn't been made of solid gold since 1912, and we'll be revealing why the " tennis bracelet " is called that, without even pretending to go into all the details.
But we'll also talk about female emancipation, hair discrimination and superstition... not without a few digressions. All in all, a Galerie Pénélope-style "Bijou et sport". So, are you ready for our tour? 3,2,1, Go!
Neo-classicism in the 19th century
Cup with discobolus, Athens, circa 490 BC, Terracotta, Paris, Musée du Louvre.
The so-called "modern" Olympic Games were first held in Athens in 1896. They were inspired by the sporting competitions organized in Olympia (Peloponnese) in honor of Zeus, between different Greek cities, every four years from the 8th century BC onwards. Celebrating the power of the gods, these sporting events lasted until the end of the 4th century AD, when Christianity was proclaimed the official state religion by Emperor Theodosius I to the detriment of traditional polytheism.
After being dormant for centuries, not without a few attempts since the 17th century in England and then in France, the Olympic Games were back in the spotlight in the 19th century.
François-Pascal-Simon Gérard, Madame Bonaparte [Detail], 1811, Rueil-Malmaison, Château Malmaison.
At the time, Europe's infatuation withGreco-Roman antiquity was evident in many areas. Fashion, for example: under the reign of Napoleon I, the " empire dress " appeared, as we already mentioned in our article on thehistory of jewelry in the 19th century (part 1). It's recognizable by its waistline positioned just below the bust, its deep square neckline and its light color (usually white).
The neo-classical breeze is also reflected in the graphic repertoire used in goldsmiths' and silversmiths' work of the time. Our head jewel presented below, inspired by Greek Antiquity, is a precious witness to this. In fact, on the discobol cup reproduced above, the circle surrounding the athlete features the same style of decorative motif as our antique comb.
Antique hair comb, Greek pattern tiara
In fact, although the 19th century brought a new lease of life to this European passion for Antiquity, its roots can be traced back to the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century. Ancient myths became familiar to the cultivated elite.
It was against this backdrop that one of the members of the Medici family, an influential patron of the arts, commissioned Botticelli to paint The Birth of Venus (circa 1485), featured in our articles on the pearl and Aphrodite's jewels. If in the last article we tell you how the representation of the goddess, an intellectual alibi for painting a nude woman, contributed to the construction of a standardized beauty, the same is true for the representation of the male body.
Our discobolus is a good example: bulging muscles, broad shoulders, the athlete possesses certain attributes considered to be those of virility. The history of " canons " and the quest for aesthetic perfection began in ancient Greece with Polyclitus, who was the first to understand beauty from a mathematical point of view. In the 5th century B.C., he proposed a treatise on ideal proportions, intended to be made available to all artists in the service of beauty. Polyclitus illustrated his theories by sculpting The Doryphorus, considered in its genre to be a model of perfection, paving the way for so-called classical art.
After Polyclitus, The Doryphorus [Roman marble copy], 1st century A.D., Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Art.
A healthy mind in a healthy body
It seems, moreover, that the balance between body and mind was already an important issue in antiquity, as evidenced by the maxim "A sound mind in a sound body" ("Mens sana in corpore sano") attributed to the ancient Roman poet Juvenal (1st-early 2nd c. CE). The Greeks also advocated a balance between mental and physical health: gymnasiums, where both athletics and philosophy were taught in ancient times, are proof of this.
[Épinal, gymnastics competition at Champ de Mars] [Detail], 1880/1945, Postcard via Limédia galerie [On line].
This state of mind was revitalized in the 19th century, in a climate ofneo-classical fervor, coupled with hygienic theories and, in particular, the inclusion of physical education in school curricula from 1869 onwards. In this context, although the reality is more nuanced (with, for example, an initiative by the new Greek state in 1835 to recreate the ancient Olympic Games), Pierre de Coubertin is credited with the Olympic Games 2.0, in 1896. The Parisian baron and historian even created his own motto, inspired by Juvenal's: "Un esprit fervent dans un corps épanoui" ("A fervent spirit in a fulfilled body" ).
To quote Pierre de Coubertin, "the true Olympic hero is [...] the individual adult male. The Olympic Games should be reserved for men, and the role of women should be above all to crown the winners". The accession of women to the modern Olympic Games, who were excluded from the ancient Games, was therefore not instinctive. While they were allowed to compete in tennis and golf as early as 1900, it wasn't until 1924 that they were also allowed to take part in athletics.
Antique sword brooch in 18Kt gold, original case.
However, in the 19th century, under the impetus of Victorian England, sport and leisure activities took on a greater role in the daily lives of the well-to-do. Riding, fencing, hunting, golf, tennis... the practice of physical activity, particularly for women, began to develop in the aristocracy and upper middle classes as early as 1830.
And this dynamic trend will give rise to a new kind of jewelry: sports brooches and pins.
Sport brooches: a must-have from the second half of the 19th century
Antique gold and silver horseshoe brooch, one set with diamonds
Fashion may have originated in England, but it soon spread beyond the country's borders. During the second half of the 19th century, the European jewelry industry experienced a period of stagnation. Across the Channel Queen Victoria lost her great love Albert of Saxe-Coburg, who died of typhoid in 1861. And while he helped popularize her eponymous jewels, the sovereign's mourning continues unabated.
In France, Napoleon III was ousted from power in 1870, and the Third Republic was established, which was rather hostile to parade and luxury.
These two factors contributed to a certain inertia in jewelry production at the time.
This was nevertheless an opportunity to explore hitherto untried avenues, marking the taste for a new era: jewelry featuring insects or animals, brooches bearing the effigies of markers of the industrial revolution such as steam engines, and motifs inspired by sport. Golf clubs, whips, stirrups, bicycles, tennis rackets, animals associated with hunting (the list is not exhaustive); these motifs are found on brooches, pins and cufflinks.
Often unisex models worn by men and women alike. And even more: while the trend lasted for some fifty years (from 1860 to around 1910), sports brooches, worn around the neck, were by 1870 a daytime jewelry must-have for It girls of the time.
SPORTING MODELS, mounted in Diamonds in John Benjamin, Starting to collect Antique Jewellery, p. 61
The 20s: Crazy... for sports!
Later, in the 20th century, the years 1920-1930 marked a turning point in the practice of sport. In fact, the democratization of sport for women was confirmed: we spoke to you, for example, about the inclusion of athletics in the modern Olympic Games in 1924.
This went hand in hand with a general emancipation of women, who after the First World War no longer intended to conform to the patriarchal expectations that society had previously imposed on them. If you'd like to find out more about the context of the time, we invite you to (re)read our article on Jewelry in the 20th century (part 1): we talk about Art Deco jewelrybut not only!
Art Deco Cushion Diamond Solitaire 1.00 Ct on Platinum
Movement and speed were the new leitmotifs, while sport, then synonymous with elegance, was omnipresent. Aswomen's independence went hand in hand with the liberation of the body, fashion quickly adapted to this new lifestyle, offering more comfortable clothing.
Two couturiers were quick to embrace and encourage this trend: Gabrielle Chanel and Jean Patou, credited with inventing sportswear. Offering a "Sports Corner" in his Paris boutique, Patou also dressed tennis players Suzanne Lenglen and Helen Wills.
Suzanne Lenglen, photo credit Albert Harlingue / Roger-Viollet, via Paris.fr [Online].
It also launches " Lift " in collaboration with jeweler Cartier. This is one of the first push-button "automatic" lipstick tubes for the "Sport" woman.
Jean Patou, Lift advertisement, in Livret de défilé, summer 1931, Paris, Bibliothèque Forney.
JEAN PATOU CARTIER " LIFT, Le rouge à lèvres ", Vermeil et argent, strié et lacqué de couleur noire, Period 1928 - Lot 87, sold by Pierre Bergé & Associés.
The Roaring Twenties were synonymous with a more nomadic and sporty lifestyle, and it was at this time that precious accessories such as compacts, minaudières and cigarette cases were invented, just like Lift.
As far as jewelry in the strictest sense is concerned, this preponderance of movement can be seen not only in the democratization of wristwatches, but also in the choice of motifs used. As in the previous century, sports continued to inspire jewellers. They also enriched their repertoire with aircraft and automobiles, which had become symbols of speed since the First World War.
The House of Chanel is currently highlighting its close link with sport since the 1920s through its Haute Joaillerie Sport collection. Highlighting the Chanel allure, it celebratesthe woman in motion as Gabrielle did in the Roaring Twenties.
Graphic line " necklace, Chanel Haute Joaillerie Sport, 2024, via the Chanel website.
Theinfluence of sport is subsequently foundin twentieth-centuryjewelry in a much more sporadic way, for example in the figurative jewelry of the 1940s.
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Get ready for Part 2, coming soon!