How do we determine value? As an auction house, it is Lyon & Turnbull’s never-ending occupation to assign value to precious pieces. Some of these items come with generational history; stories about great-grandparents who dined with Rockefeller, while others may have been shrewd investments a gamble on an emerging artist that rewarded the bold. For all that we can appraise and glean for our clients, however, there is one value that we can never wholly determine, the personal value of the piece to its owner. The feeling of personal sacrifice when a client is not quite ready to let go but feels they must. This prompts one to ask; how do you, the client, value your own pieces and what could be worth surrendering them entirely?
If we step back several centuries to the late-1700s to the early-1800s, we might see a world largely thrown into conflict. From the French Revolution to the Napoleonic Wars, it was a time of great upheaval with the French Emperor leading soldiers into and out of battle after battle. As the Prussian War of Liberation or the War of the Sixth Coalition launched, the people of Prussia were faced with this same question. What are my precious objects truly worth?
While the men of the Prussian army risked their lives in service to their country, the wealthy families and ladies of Prussia, risked their jewels. In an act of astonishing patriotism, wealthy citizens donated their jewellery to the Royal Treasury to fund a war that would ultimately drive Napoleon out of Germany and result in his exile to Elba. In exchange for their gold and jewels, the ladies received intricate iron jewellery often inscribed with the motto ‘Ich gab geld um Eisen’ or ‘I gave gold for iron’. These pieces became synonymous with patriotism and sacrifice and while this is not the first or last time countries and governments have requested a donation of gold, this is one of the rare times in which we see truly exceptional jewels given back to those who donated. The artistry displayed in these ironworks has rightfully made them iconic pieces today, displaying a level of craftsmanship and delicacy one does not typically see in iron-based works.
Berlin iron was originally founded in the Gleiwitz Foundry, within the borders of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic in the 1790s. The area was mineral-rich, and it was not long after their founding that the Royal Berlin Iron Foundry took over and expanded the business. The Royal Berlin Iron Foundry both developed and refined the techniques used to create these delicate iron jewels. The process involved either moulding wax or carving wax into intricate detailed designs and then pressing these designs into fine sand. These impressions were then filled with molten iron. After cooling, the iron was removed from the sand, hand-finished, and a black lacquer was applied.
The original purpose behind the Berlin Ironworks jewellery was mourning. The black lacquered iron was fine enough to be decorative but also sedate and appropriate to be worn while in grief. The material was also inexpensive, those purchasing jewellery for the relatively infrequent occasion of mourning did not have to spend a fortune on jewellery they would not wear very long. Often used motifs were classical medallions, cameos, and foliage which lent a distinctly Neoclassical look to much of the ironworks pieces. It was also not uncommon for fine silver wire to be embedded into the iron, in a technique called niello where the silver would highlight fine engraving work. Later the jewels were adapted to suit changing tastes and would take on the unmistakable Gothic Revival appearance.
The transition of the Berlin Ironworks jewels from symbols of mourning to symbols of patriotism may actually be attributed to Napoleon’s attacks on Germany. After the Emperor’s march on Berlin, he took the casting moulds of the jewels for the use of the French jewellery market. After 1806, the production of French ironworks jewellery helped to increase the popularity of these pieces in the greater European market. This would be a relatively widespread appreciation over the coming decades with demand peaking in the 1830s and desire for these pieces spanning from Paris to Bohemia and Austria. There was even ironwork jewellery displayed in the Great Exhibition of 1851.
The War of the Sixth Coalition which took place nearly six years after the theft of the moulds was therefore an opportunity for Prussia to take back one of its most impressive artistic achievements by turning what was once a symbol of grief and mourning into a symbol of hope and patriotic sacrifice.
With examples sold at auction by Christie’s and on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Berlin Ironworks jewels are an enduring legacy of artistry and how we come to value our precious objects and what that means when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.
