Brooches

In the 18th century, the ribbon bow found its rightful place in the jewellery lexicon. Seventeenth-century jeweller and ornamentalist Jean Henri Prosper Pouget published two treatises-one in 1762 and another in 1764-that provide a broad overview of French jewellery of the period. His inventory includes every kind of ribbon bow. Some are plain, free of decoration, while others feature several loops, or pearl, diamond, plant and floral adornment, among others. The many, often complex interpretations are a testament to the talent and imagination of jewellers, who were constantly called upon by