SANZ - Lot 81

SANZ "Native American Head" lapel pin in 750‰ yellow gold and 850‰ platinum, the face carved from labradorite, his headdress of stylized chiseled feathers, the whole piece enhanced with round faceted rubies and brilliant-cut diamonds (16/16) set in prongs. Pins in 585‰ yellow gold. Signed “Sanz.” Dimensions: 6x3.3cm. Gross weight: 32.1g. (Scratches). Founded in Madrid in 1854 by Felipe Sanz de Montera y del Valle, the Sanz House established itself on Calle de la Montera and became a renowned jewelry house in the Spanish capital by the end of the 19th century, before becoming a supplier to the Royal Household. The Sanz workshop is distinguished by creations featuring imposing volumes, figurative subjects, and the use of various colored gemstones such as amethyst, labradorite, corundum, and turquoise. The Sanz family made its mark in the world of high-end court jewelry, notably through a commission from Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain for a necklace composed of seven Colombian emeralds. Among the other works attributed to the House, certain animal-themed or ethnographically inspired brooches illustrate the late 19th-century taste for decorative exoticism. The brooch known as the “Native American Head,” featured in this sale, is a testament to this. The treatment of the face reflects the attention paid by the Sanz jewelers to the effects of volume and the theatricality of their compositions. Through chromatic contrasts, the richness of materials, and the expressiveness of the compositions, the Sanz House developed a unique stylistic language that would captivate the Spanish clientele of the 20th century.