rosé gold and silver, an old-cut diamond c. 1.70 ct, smaller old-cut diamonds and diamond rhombs total weight c. 28 ct, workmanship c. 1880, 32.8 g, can be separated into 12 single brooches, no x-ray exam conducted on this object. In order to escape the advances of enamoured Apollo, Daphne was transformed into a laurel tree by her father. From that moment onwards, the Greek god carried a laurel wreath or a laurel branch in memory of his lost love. In Greek mythology, the laurel represents the triumph of love.
In Roman antiquity, the evergreen laurel was regarded as the symbol of glory, success and moral purity, and laurel branches in the shape of a wreath still symbolise peace today.
Over the course of many centuries, both the heads of classical gods and crowned rulers were depicted with a décor of laurel leaves. As a result of the intense study of antiquity by both scholars and artists towards the end of the 18th century, diadems and other items became fashionable again and were often decorated with mythological motifs.

Throughout the 19th and until the first third of the 20th century, tiaras remained a sought-after accessory at court, evening events and soirées. For leading court jewellers in Europe, such as Mellerio, Chaumet and later Petochi, Cartier, Fabergé and Köchert, this marks the beginning of a golden age of creativity and craftsmanship. The classical motif of the laurel wreath can found with numerous variations in all the products of the aforementioned jewellers. As copies of the sketches suggest, lot 20 was probably produced by the Petochi workshop in Rome. The pearls symbolise the white buds of laurel flowers. According to family history, the present item is a wedding gift. (AF)