DUNHILL, Mid-twentieth century - Lot 74

DUNHILL, Mid-twentieth century Pair of hunting cufflinks in yellow gold 750‰ adorned with four Essex crystal cabochons representing a duck and a pheasant, on the ground and in flight, on a mother-of-pearl background. Signed "DUNHILL-PARIS" and numbered at the point "203-69". French work, diamond-shaped hallmark of Atelier DUMONT & Cie. Diameter: 1.4cm. P. Gross weight: 11.5g. With a DUMONT case. The "Cristal d'Essex" or "Essex Crystal" technique takes its name from William Essex - painter-miniaturist to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert - but it was his pupil, William Bishop Ford, who popularized the technique from the beginning of the second half of the 19th century. Used until the mid-twentieth century, this technique consists of applying polychrome pigments to the reverse of rock crystal or glass cabochons, which have been engraved in intaglio to varying depths, often with animal or floral motifs. The virtuosity of these pieces lies in the complexity of the painting - in miniature - of motifs redoubling in finesse, starting with the details and ending with the backgrounds, all on a recessed surface. The piece presented here perfectly illustrates the three-dimensional rendering made possible by this technique, as well as its characteristic "magnifying glass" effect.