Figures & Faces

A glorious selection of jewelry based on the human figure, all in the holdings of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris

This is the third book in a series devoted to the splendid jewelry collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Following on from Flora and Fauna, the theme this time is the human figure, perhaps the most intimate and involving of subjects. Jewelry has always been a vehicle for the deepest of human emotions: remembrance, faith, devotion, love, belonging and mourning.

The museum’s collection begins in the Byzantine era and ranges through the medieval and Renaissance periods and beyond, with mythological figures and biblical scenes represented on pendants and rings. In the 19th century, René Lalique, Alphonse Fouquet and the Maison Vever produced brooches and necklaces that were the very embodiment of elegant sophistication and technical brilliance, while in the 20th century, artists such as Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti joined jewelers like Jean Lurçat, Line Vautrin and Claude Lalanne in creating works that interpret the body in a deeply personal way.

Wonderfully photographed by Jean-Marie del Moral, Figures is packed with striking and witty works of art that will charm all lovers of jewelry.