Art Nouveau Piel Frères Sash Buckle

I fell in love with this wonderful sash pin and after seeing another Piel Frères piece posted, it reminded me of her, so I thought I would share.

Art Nouveau sash buckle with wonderful tendrils and a carved celluloid (I believe) face of this adorable woman. She reminds me of a wood sprite peering out from a shrub!

Makers mark for Piel Frères: P [sword] F

To quote Vivienne Becker in Art Nouveau Jewellery, pg 226:

"Piel Frères, Paris jewelry firm (at 31 Rue Mesley) which caused a sensation at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900 with its fashionable but inexpensive 'art' jewels. The head of the firm was Alexandre Piel, who worked with the sculptor Gabriel Stalin as artistic director. In their jewels, sculpted ivory was replaced by the new plastic material, celluloid, while copper and silver replaced gold. Critics approved of these substitutes, since the aim was to present art at an affordable price. Piel Frères' jewels were often gilt or enamelled, which they accomplished successfully on the difficult media of copper and silver. The designs were excellent, and they are known particularly for their range of buckles, and for an impressive gilt and enamelled peacock feather buckle, illustrated in La Revue de la bijouterie in 1901.