COUQUAUX - Lot 50

COUQUAUX Rare "dragon" opening rigid cuff BRACELET in yellow gold (750‰), entirely hammered, repoussé and adorned with translucent hammered and guilloché polychrome enamel (slight misses) depicting a dragon, flanked by wings set with old-cut diamonds, one larger, and rose-cut. Safety chain. French work, late 19th century. Signed COUQUAUX and dated 1885. Length: 16.5 cm. Width: 2.8 cm. Gross weight: 92.7 g. The Maison COUQUAUX was founded by François-Théophile COUQUAUX at 402, Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, in the 1870s. His work is characteristic of the aesthetic influences of the late 19th century, Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance, with mentors such as Eugène VIOLLET-LE-DUC and Jean-Baptiste-Antoine LASSUS. The quality of his work earned him a silver medal at the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle, behind Cardeilhac. His creations are rare, and this bracelet, in excellent condition, is a perfect example of his creativity and the care given to his figurative works.