Bracelet
Fernande Desgranges
1940–49 · leather, metal · Costume Institute
This intriguing cuff bracelet, made by the French high-end leather goods company Desgranges, draws inspiration from the Verdura cuffs made for Coco Chanel. Verdura designed the cuffs emblazoned with a Maltese cross in the 1920s and Chanel continued to wear them for many years. The cuffs thus entered into the annals of fashion history and inspired many adaptations. Here, the ambiguous form molded in gold is seemingly half human and half lion. It, along with the tassel and stud-like triangular ornaments, creates a compelling appeal to the piece and would inspire conversation as jewelry was meant to do.
- Artist
- Fernande Desgranges
- Date
- 1940–49
- Medium
- leather, metal
- Culture
- French
- Department
- Costume Institute
- Credit line
- Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Leon A. Mnuchin, 1961
