Dawn Pendant, Sterling Silver, Art Nouveau, Armand Bargas, Female Figure, Morning Rooster Necklace, French Design

Aurore: French for the dawn. The Romans gave their goddess of dawn a similar name:  Aurora, the one who opens the sky. She rode ahead of the sun each morning, scattering the dark, her arrival announced by the first color at the horizon. Here the engraver gave her loose hair and an upturned face, the only face in the times of day series that looks upward. Dawn's the one who reaches toward the light, rather than receiving it.

Sun rays spread across the field behind her. Above her a crescent moon is still faintly visible, fading as the night releases its last hold on the sky.  At her right a rooster crows - le coq, in French tradition the herald of morning, the creature that calls the light back with its voice. Here the allegory of dawn is simultaneously rendered in a way that's utterly French, but also universally understood. 

At the bottom of the composition "Aurore" is inscribed, along with the artist's signature. 

The engraver, Armand Bargas, was born in Paris in 1854 and spent his career as an engraver of medals and decorative metalwork, working in the tradition that made French Art Nouveau the dominant decorative style of its era. He died in 1921 which means his productive years ran almost exactly parallel to the movement itself, from its emergence in the 1880s through its peak and into its decline after the First World War. His work appears on medals, plaques, and buttons of the period, and his signature on a piece is a mark of authorship.

This is the first pendant in a series of four: Jour, Crépuscule, and Nuit are each listed separately in the shop. A collector who owns all four holds the full wheel of hours - dawn, day, twilight, night - each one a different quality of light, a different quality of being. The other pendants are listed separately (see below). 

Cast in sterling silver, the pendant preserves the full depth of the original relief. At 15 grams it carries real weight — a presence on the body that lighter pieces don't have.

Hallmarked Blue Piranha and .925. 

The pendant measures 1½ inches, or 3.8 cm, long and just under 1¼ inches, or 3.2 cm, wide, including the bail — about the size of a U.S. half dollar. Weight: 15 grams.

Each pendant is available without a chain, so you may use your own if you prefer. If you want to add a chain, I offer different lengths and styles. Every chain comes with a 2-inch extender, so you can vary the length. Please choose your chain from the options at checkout.

Your purchase arrives gift boxed, presented in a soft pouch with a story card.

Good for: a gift for the person who wakes before the sun and considers that time their own. The person beginning a fresh chapter, a new practice, or a better version of herself. The woman who left behind the version of herself that no longer fit and is standing at the beginning of what comes next, watching the sky go from dark to light. 
  
Questions? Please message me. I'm happy to help.

Jour/Day: 

Crepuscule/Twilight: 

Nuit/Night: out of stock