Museum quality. A masterpiece of Art Deco design.
A men ring in silver by French silversmith Jean Després, belonging to the iconic "Bijoux Motor" (Motor Jewels) collection. The shape of the ring recalls the turbine of an airplane. Marked "JD", It can be dated 1930.
A similar example is published on the cover of the monograph dedicated to Despres by Melissa Gabardi:
Jean Despres: Jeweler, Maker and Designer of the Machine Age (Thames & Hudson, 2009)
Size 64 (approx), US 10/11
Weight 92 g
Sign of wear (see pictures)
JEAN DESPRÉS (1889 - 1980)
The essential avant-garde goldsmith of inter-war France.
Born in 1889, Jean Després began an academic apprenticeship at the age of 14 with a Parisian goldsmith. It was in this city in the midst of an industrial boom that he drew his inspiration: attracted by the modernity of forms and materials, he immediately appeared as a daring and innovative artist. It was by frequenting the artists of the moment - Picasso, Modigliani, Braque - that he discovered Futurism and Cubism, which also inspired his work and took him even further away from the traditional vision of goldsmithing.
In 1914, when France had just entered the Great War, Jean Després was forced to work as an industrial designer in the workshops of the military aviation. This experience would deeply inspire his work as a goldsmith once the war was over, when he returned to Avallon, the town of his childhood, to set up his workshop.
Endowed with an exceptional talent, he aspires to transmit the aesthetic modernity of his time. He regularly and assiduously participates in the various fairs and exhibitions held in Paris and soon makes himself known to the public.
From the 1930s onwards, Jean Després is at the peak of his art. He creates simple and original jewels recognizable thanks to their massive and audacious forms. He works a lot with silver and stones such as onyx, turquoise or chalcedony.
