c1900 Norway Silver Guilloche Enamel Brooch by Marius Hammer

A beautiful c1900 Norwegian Art Silver and enamelled Brooch depicting a bird in very good condition, by Marius Hammer of Bergen.
The brooch has a circular enamelled boss and is decorated with a guilloche enamelled sparrow on a light background, surrounded by a white enamel border. The reverse has a horizontal retaining pin and has the maker’s mark of Marius Hammer, of Bergen, as well as the 935 silver content stamp.
Marius Hammer was a well known Norwegian goldsmith and jeweller. He studied in Hamburg and Berlin before establishing his own workshop in Bergen in 1871. From around 1880 he specialised in modern versions of traditional Norwegian jewellery as well as plique-à-jour enamel work. From around 1885 he advertised himself as ‘By Special Appointment to the Prince of Wales’, listing also ‘the largest collection of Norwegian antiquities in Scandinavia’. His decorations have a unique author’s look. They are undoubtedly modern, but the Hammer style is radically different from the typical Scandinavian modern style, with its simple lines and cool range of enamels. Marius Hummer usually filled the simple and symmetrical outer contour of the frame with filigree and additional decorative elements. In his jewellery, he used the motifs of traditional Viking ornaments, but creatively transformed them, and, at the same time, managed to preserve the harmony of the ornament in his transformations. Undoubtedly, this testifies to the master’s great talent and his impressive knowledge. He retired in 1915 but the firm remained active until 1930 under his two sons, Torolf and Max. This silver and blue opalescent enamel brooch is a fine example of his work.
Size: 2.5 x 1 cm (1 x 3/8 inches)
Weight: 7.5 g