Art jewellery by Serrurier-Bovy

In 2023, the King Baudouin Foundation acquired a very special piece of jewellery: a pendant designed by the renowned architect and designer Gustave Serrurier-Bovy from Liege. This unique piece, which came from one of Serrier-Bovy’s descendants, is a wonderful example of Belgian Art Nouveau.

Belgian Art Nouveau

Gustave Serrurier-Bovy (1858-1910), alongside others such as Victor Horta, Paul Hankar, Henry van de Velde and Philippe Wolfers, is considered to be one of Belgian Art Nouveau’s greats. Although he became famous above all for his work as an architect-designer and furniture designer, his creative talents went far beyond. Like other Art Nouveau artists, his work was not confined to a single discipline and he created a wide range of objects, including jewellery.

Serrurier-Bovy’s signature geometric style

This pendant, in gold-plated silver, reflects Serrurier-Bovy’s signature geometric style of design. It is shaped as a solid Isosceles triangle with a dropped base. A Baroque pearl hangs from each of the three points at its base. In the centre of the pendant is an oval amber cabochon, surrounded by three round chrysoprase cabochons. It hangs from a plain silver chain. This simple, modernistic design was in stark contrast to the contemporary creations of other jewellers such as René Lalique and Philippe Wolfers.

Too progressive for its time

Gustave Serrurier-Bovy designed these pieces of jewellery in 1905 and they were put on sale in the Serrurier & Company stores in Paris, Brussels and Nice. However, their radical design turned out to be too progressive for the time and the jewellery was unfortunately not a commercial success. There are only a dozen examples of these pieces of jewellery known of today, all coming from the designer’s family.

Accessible to everyone

This beautiful pendant was acquired by the King Baudouin Foundation and it has now been entrusted to the Brussels Art & History Museum, where it is exhibited in the re-created Wolfers boutique.