Berlin Iron Jewelry
I Gave Gold for Iron, from Patriotic Glory to Fashion Transformation
The legend of Berlin iron jewelry originated from a special time and space background. It combined the iron-clad national memory of the Prussian people two hundred years ago. It also made black iron jewelry no longer just an ordinary choice for mourning jewelry. Transcending its material value, it has become a unique existence in the history of jewelry art. Collections related to Berlin iron art can be found in many museums today. Well-preserved Berlin iron jewelry pieces are also very popular among private collectors.
The Kingdom of Prussia (1701-1918) was one of the predecessors of what is now Germany. The territory mainly included most of northern Germany and western Poland. Since its promotion to become a kingdom in the 18th century, it had gradually become a great power in the European continent through the implementation of militaristic policies. At the beginning of the 19th century, Napoleon (Napoléon Bonaparte, reigned 1804-1814 and 1815) led the French army to conquer Europe. Prussia was also hit hard. During this turbulent period, female members of the Prussian royal family decided to openly appeal to the wealthy class of the country, especially women, to donate their gold jewelry to finance the country’s war expenses. In return, donors could get iron brooches or rings with the words like "I gave gold for iron" (Gold gab ich für Eisen), "For the welfare of our country" (Für das Wohl des Vaterlands). ) and other patriotic words or portraits of kings produced by the Royal Berlin Foundry. Carrying the weight of patriotic sentiments, the inexpensive iron metal was instantly sublimated into the most noble jewelry material. Iron jewelry had also become a symbol of loyalty and firmness. Although the conformity could not be denied, the citizens of Prussia were proud of it, and it also encouraged personal decorative uses. The rise of Berlin iron jewelry spread to France, Britain and other countries. Its exquisite and meticulous craftsmanship and special aesthetic replaced political factors and generated a full-scale popularity.
Berlin iron art was made by sand casting. Liquid iron was poured into the mold to form. After cooling, the surface was painted with matte black paint by hand, which was both rust-proof and beautiful. Such a technique appeared in the 1790s at the foundry in Gleiwitz, in Prussia back then. At first, it might have been used to make large components, but it was later developed by the Royal Berlin Foundry, especially in the field of jewelry.
In the early 19th century, Neoclassicism1, which advocated the aesthetics of ancient Greece and Rome, became popular, and jewelry art was no exception. Early Berlin iron art often imitated embossed gemstones with iron castings, depicting classical figures and gods. However, the style of decoration had also changed over time. After 1815, natural elements such as leaves and flowers were used more frequently to develop into a unique black garden. The production of iron art in Berlin reached its peak in the 1830s, when there were 27 foundries in Berlin alone. At the same time, Berlin iron art seemed to have found an artistic style that best suited its own characteristics - Goethe Revival2. What is more suitable to interpret those intricate lines than the exquisite and restrained black metal of Berlin iron art? Each piece seemed to be taken from Goethe architectural details, reminiscent of church vaults, tracery and doors. With the unique moderation and sorrow of Goethe style, mysterious elegance and strong decorativeness, the perfect fusion of the two is also the best representative appearance of Berlin iron jewelry today.
Notre Dame de Paris was built between 1163 and 1250 and is a typical Gothic building. In 1831, the French writer Victor Marie Hugo (1802-1885) published his famous book The Hunchback of Notre Dame de Paris, which also led more people to appreciate the Gothic art style. Notre Dame de Paris (detail), Alfred-Alexandre Delauney, late 19th century, Library of Congress.
Belt Ornament,Lehman, August Ferdinand, c.1820, V&A Museum collection.
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1 The rise of Neoclassicism in the mid-18th century was a trend of the times. On the one hand, it was a reaction to Baroque and Rococo art, which had developed to the extreme and became more and more flashy. On the other hand, the excavation of Pompeii stimulated people's enthusiasm for the ancient prosperous civilization. At the same time, it also complemented the ideas of the Enlightenment and Rationalism at that time, which promoted the high development of this retro movement originating in Rome in Europe. Napoleon, who had always admired the glory of the ancient Roman Empire, and his French court were also important supporters of neoclassicism.
2 Goethe Revival originated in England in the mid-18th century, but did not become mainstream until the 1820s. Some researchers linked its rise to Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, and the taste of a generation of heroes fell with his era. Goethe Revival and Neoclassicism have polarized ideological pursuits, conservative and strongly religious, and are also related to Romanticism's exploration of medieval art in the first half of the 19th century. Nevertheless, one thing is for sure - most of Berlin iron jewelry art focused on the decorative needs over religious connotations.