A ceramic ornament with a richly colored print of an original watercolor painting of a Georgian Lover's Eye brooch. The original brooch, from the Skier Collection (Cat. 53), is English, ca. 1800-1810, in yellow gold surrounded by red coral. Coral was prized in Georgian jewelry for its protective and life-giving associations, symbolizing vitality, affection, and enduring passion. 3".

THE HISTORY: Lover's Eyes were a jewelry trend c.1785-1830 of brooches set with tiny watercolor portraits on ivory. Since they were cropped to eyes, they were in many ways more direct and intimate than traditional miniature portraits; but also because they were just eyes, they were often used as daring public testimonies of clandestine love affairs with mystery lovers.