Jewellery and box
- Audio guide stop: 112
- Gallery: Room 2
- Audio guide: one commentary for a group of objects shown together
- Museum: The British Museum
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About these objects
In front of you is a striking group of fine silver jewellery and a decorative box, all part of a collection reflecting a fascination with natural beauty and craftsmanship. These pieces were made by artists who used special techniques to capture the world’s delicate wonders in metal.
The featured object is a silver box with an intricate design centred on a large oval amethyst. Around it, butterflies in plique-à-jour enamel appear to flutter among stylised flowers and lily pads, all enriched with red champlevé enamel along the sides. This piece is a fine example of the work of Eugène Feuillâtre, an important maker known for his innovative use of enamel. His background in the atelier of René Lalique gives this box a unique artistic lineage.
The butterflies in plique-à-jour, a translucent enamel technique, catch the light in a way that imitates natural movement—something the artist was devoted to perfecting.
Look closely at the base of the box to find the maker’s mark: FEUILLATRE. It’s a small clue to the craftsmanship of one of France’s most admired artisans at the start of the twentieth century.
See it in person
Jewellery and box is on display in Room 2 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 112, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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