Hand Ornament

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Hand Ornament

Designer Jeanne Boivin (French, 1871-1959)

Manufacturer René Bovin (French, 1864 - 1917)

Place of OriginFrance

Dateabout 1925

DimensionsL: 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm); W: 3 in. (7.6 cm)

MediumSilver and citrines

ClassificationJewelry

Credit LinePurchased with funds given by the Estate of Norma M. Sakel

Object number

2000.3

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 34, Jewelry Gallery

Label TextThe hand ornament as a form of jewelry is rarely found in Western countries. It is based on Indian hand ornaments, known as hathphul (“hand flowers”), which were originally actual flowers worn on the hand during a wedding ceremony. They eventually evolved into versions made of gold and silver and set with gemstones. Jeanne Boivin was the sister of the French couturier Paul Poiret (who introduced such early-1900s fads as harem pants and hobble skirts) and a friend of such avant-garde artists and writers as Pierre Bonnard and Jean Cocteau. In 1893 she married jeweler René Boivin, for whose firm she began to design. After his death in 1917, she took over the firm, working with her daughter and the designer Juliette Moutard, along with many other important women designers, to continue to produce bold, innovative pieces.