Lot 99
Georgina Follett: A pair of enamel floral earrings, 1981-82 §
Estimate: £400 - £600
Auction: 23 October 2024 From 14:00 BST
Description
Each designed as a cascading line of plique-à-jour enamel flowerheads, with ruby beads and seed pearls, to a wirework gingko leaf finial, hook fittings, unsigned, length 3.5cm
Provenance
These earrings were retailed as part of a selling exhibition of the artist Georgina Follett's work at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London from 26th January to 1 May 1983. Accompanied by the original V&A catalogue.
Footnote
Georgina Follett (b. 1949) trained at the Central School of Art & Design and Royal College of Art.
Follett took part in the Goldsmiths' Hall exhibition “Loot” in 1980, collaborated with the fashion designer Thea Porter for her show at Covent Garden in 1975, and has been exhibited widely ever since.
Follett's pieces use the challenging plique-à-jour enamelling technique, a practiced that saw its peek in the early 20th century with artists such as Lalique, Feuillâtre and Prytz. This technically demanding method, where the enamel doesn't have a solid metal ground, making it completely translucent, is most similar to stained glass in a church window. She believes in meticulous craftsmanship, and makes every element by hand. The firing process is repeated up to five times and ultimately the fine suspension of enamel in water is what provides the strength that supports the fragile gold framework. Her work can be found in the permanent collection of the V&A Museum, London. (M.46&A-1982)
