The tulip is among the recurring flower subjects in the work of JAR, the Paris maison founded by Joel Arthur Rosenthal in 1977 at 7 Place Vendôme. JAR tulip brooches and ear clips are constructed in the maison's pavé manner with the gradated colour and dark mounting that constitute its signature, and the tulip is treated as a botanical study in the same idiom as the camellia, the pansy, the sweet pea and the rose.

The Subject

The tulip combines a closed-bud silhouette with a strong upright stem and lance-shaped foliage, and it presents a particular expressive opportunity through the wide range of natural tulip colours including monochrome reds, oranges, yellows, purples and pinks as well as the celebrated bicoloured and feathered varieties. JAR tulip pieces draw on this full natural palette.

Construction

JAR tulips are constructed over a carved substrate of silver and gold, patinated black so that no mounting metal is visible from the front. The closed cup of the bud is rendered with multiple overlapping pavé surfaces representing the layered petals, with tonal gradation across each petal from saturated base to lighter tip. The stem and leaves are pavé-set in green tsavorite or green sapphire with subtle gradation toward yellow at the upper tips.

The maison has produced single-flower tulip brooches as well as pieces with multiple tulips on a shared stem and pieces with a tulip combined with foliage as a complete composition. Documented colour palettes include deep red ruby pavé, orange and yellow sapphire combinations recalling the historic Dutch broken tulips, pink sapphire with white diamond accents, and pure violet sapphire pavé.

Reception

JAR tulips were included in the Metropolitan Museum's 2013 retrospective Jewels by JAR and have appeared at Christie's and Sotheby's auctions. Each example is unique and they have not been produced in any standard run.