Josephine Baker is a deco superstar in African-influenced necklaces by sculptor/jeweler/lacquer master Jean Dunand
Josephine Baker was one of the most famous women in Paris, her adopted city, and most of Europe during the Jazz Age. The American-born artist and civil rights activist shimmied her way to stardom, introducing her Danse Sauvage onstage in Paris in 1925 while wearing a string of artificial bananas for a skirt. With the art deco movement in full bloom, the era renewed interest in design from Egypt, Asia, and the Middle East, says jewelry writer and historian Marion Fasel. “The jewelry made during the period holds up a mirror to that sense of inquisitiveness,” she says. Baker showcased a dynamic example of African-inspired deco design in this portrait, taken in 1929, when she wore a series of necklaces by French furniture maker, artist, and sometime jeweler Jean Dunand from his Giraffe series. The collection was significant at the time, Fasel says, because “while Africa was a source of inspiration in the decorative arts, there were very few jewelry designs that show the influence of the continent. These pieces are rare in that respect.” On Baker, a rare talent, the necklaces found their ultimate model, she says. “She had incredible taste and clearly loved to make a statement.”
(George Hoyningen-Huene/Condé Nast Collection/Getty)