A Paulding Farnham for Tiffany & Co. orchid brooch

A Paulding Farnham for Tiffany & Co. enamel and diamond orchid brooch
1889-1896, stamped: Tiffany & Co. / 1157
Oncidium sphacelatum, polychrome enamel on a yellow gold cage set with one old mine-cut diamond gauged at approximately 0.50 ct. and graded H-I color, VS clarity, further set with eleven old mine-cut diamonds graded H-I color, VS clarity, with certificate from Tiffany Archives
1.5" H x 1.5" W
15.0 grams

Provenance: This lot accompanied by a Jewelry Research Certificate from the Tiffany Archives.

Notes: Orchidelirium, like tulip fever in the 16th century, took 19th century Europe by storm when William John Swainson shipped the first orchid to England in 1818. The captivating blossom set off an era of orchid hunting, a dangerous and highly profitable enterprise that saw wealthy patrons hire hunters to go all over the world collecting the rarest and best specimens. Not every orchid survived the trip and those that did fetched a premium when they were auctioned, most often in London. By the third quarter of the 19th century, with the rise of the Gilded Age, Orchidelirium reached American shores, helped by Hudson River School painter Martin Johnson Heade whose orchid paintings captivated audiences in the later-half of the 19th century. It was at the zenith of this era that Paulding Farnham, a designer at Tiffany & Co., created a series of orchid brooches for the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle. In an exhibition that saw the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower and the display of the Imperial diamond (what was then the largest diamond in the world), the twenty-two orchid brooches and hair ornaments created a stir as no other flower-form jewel has before or since. The skilled enamel work on a naturalistic gold base created a breathtaking illusion as if the delicate flowers had been frozen in time.

This work, of oncidium sphacelatum, the "dancing lady" variety of orchid, is delicately enameled with yellow and orangy-brown enamel and carefully set with diamonds and is a wonderful example of Farnham's skills as a designer and craftsman.
Condition Report: Overall good condition with scattered slight scuffs, scratches, and minor chips to enamel work. A .25" x .125" area of chips to the enamel work. One petal slightly loose, needs tightening.