Brooches
Ribbon knot pin
BF400322
Versailles Jewellery Collection
In the 18th century, the ribbon knot naturally found its place in the vocabulary of jewellery.
Jean Henri Prosper Pouget, 17th century jeweller and ornamentalist, published a Traité des pierres précieuses in 1762, then a Nouveau recueil de fineries de joaillerie in 1764, admirable archival pieces that provide a broad overview of jewellery in the 18th century. It lists in particular all the forms of ribbon knots; it can be simple, without ornaments, as the one reproduced here, but also pearled, vegetable, floral, decorated with diamonds, Sevigné knot with several buckles... the variations are multiple, often complex, and testify to the talent and imagination of jewellers constantly solicited by nobles and courtesans anxious to appear.
This motif echoes the fashion of European courts: the ribbon bow, symbol of femininity, multiplies on clothes and shoes, from Madame de Pompadour's dress, dressed as a "beautiful gardener" under Carle Van Loo's brush, to Marie-Antoinette's shoes....
