Inside Fima #1 – The Renaissance revival: the jewels of Falize

INSIDE FIMA: news, ideas and insights to start exploring the world of the Italian Federation of Art Dealers and the gallery owners who are part of it.

One of the greatest jewelers of Art Nouveau, Alexis Falize, became such almost by chance: the father, exasperated by his son's bad character, decided to put him in line and enrolled him in a drawing course; and here all the talent of this artist came out, who then specialized in the creation of elaborate jewels, where line and color are the absolute protagonists: gold, enamel and pearls are pure material and make the jewels of what later became one of the most important jeweler dynasties in the French panorama of the late nineteenth century.

Next to that of the greats like Cartier, Boucheron, Lalique o Fouquet, Falize's style stands out for its ability to recover ancient tradition without being retro. Alexis' son began collaborating with his father at just 17 years old and from here it was one success after another: he stood out at theUnion Centrale des Beaux Arts of 1876 and toParis Universal Expo '76; but Lucien reached the pinnacle of success by winning the legion of honor, the highest honor at the time.

While his father was inspired by Moorish, Persian and Egyptian art, enhanced by a rare technical expertise, Lucien recovers the neo-Renaissance stylistic features. A jewel of his could easily appear in the collection of Lorenzo the Magnificent a Palazzo Pitti. Enamels are always great protagonists but are enhanced by pearls, including baroque ones, diamonds and stones which give life to a fantastic universe, unique in the panorama of fin de siècle jewellery. The subjects range from Venuses that arise from enamel shells, chimeras that embrace imposing pendants, rampant lions or elaborate spirals are just part of his decorative repertoire. Who does not disdain the universe linked to nature: the naturalistic theme will also be taken up by Lucien's successors, who however never achieved the virtuosity he achieved in goldsmithing.

Today FALIZE jewels are practically impossible to find. They can be admired at Metropolitan Museum of New York and Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.

Ginevra Tomasi – Vintage Gold and Silver