Butterfly Figurine

This graceful miniature sculpture with butterfly wings created by Philippe Wolfers is notable for the perfect mastery it exhibits of particularly complex techniques. Thanks to its acquisition by the Christian Bauwens Fund and the Charles Vreeken Fund, the Art & History Museum has been able to complete its existing collection and use this original Wolfers creation to illustrate the development in style of this great Belgian artist and silversmith.

Perfect mastery of a multi-facetted artist

Philippe Wolfers (1858-1929), Belgian silversmith and emblematic figure of the Belgian Art Nouveau movement, created a perfect miniature sculpture for this pendant. The piece marked the start of a new phase in his work, that of sculpture, an art form in which Wolfers continued to excel until his death in 1929. A nude figure in carnelian, with gold butterfly wings, rests on an opal. The use of enamel and translucent plique-à-jour enamel on the wings, together with precious and semi-precious stones, render this pendant both colourful and graceful. The style of jewellery created by Philippe Wolfers can be divided into two groups, firstly from 1897 to around 1900 and secondly from 1900 to 1907. Jewellery in the first group was inspired by Symbolism, the absolute masterpiece from this time being his Medusa pendant. This Butterfly figurine comes from the second period in the artist’s work, in which Symbolism gave way to elegance in pieces of jewellery that showed great mastery of the complex techniques employed by Wolfers.

Inspired by René Lalique

Philippe Wolfers exhibited at the International Exhibition held in Brussels in 1897, where he showed exclusively objects created by him and presented in the magnificent Wolfers Frères display cases. It was there that he discovered René Lalique’s innovative jewellery that was so delighting the public and Wolfers decided to create unique pieces of jewellery in Art Nouveau style himself. And so it was that, over a 10-year period, Philippe Wolfers created some 130 remarkable pieces of jewellery, which were internationally recognised for their artistic qualities, as well as the exceptional techniques he employed.

Reunited at the Museum of Art & History

This remarkable Butterfly Figurine was sold in 1903 at a personal exhibition of the artist’s work in Antwerp, which exhibited only Wolfers’ unique pieces of jewellery. The buyer remains unknown and all trace of the piece were lost until it appeared at Le Bijou 1900, an exhibition held at the Hôtel Solvay in 1965. At that time the piece belonged to the Wittamer-Descamps family, owners of the Hôtel Solvay and pioneers in the collection of Art Nouveau. Since then, it has only been exhibited in Japan. Its acquisition by the Christian Bauwens Fund and the Charles Vreeken Fund enables the figurine to be shown permanently in the exceptional setting of the Wolfers Boutique at the Museum of Art & History in Brussels, where it will be exhibited together with the Medusa pendent, as well as the Wolfers Collection which were also acquired by the King Baudouin Foundation. The presence of the Butterfly Figurine represents an essential complement to the collection that highlights the development of Philippe Wolfers’ unique creations.