"Ballerina" Collection Brooch
A rare piece of solid 925 sterling silver in the recognizable style of Frederick Massingham, a renowned English silversmith from the 1940s who collaborated with D.H. Phillips in Birmingham.
Although unsigned, it bears the model number B-219 and was almost certainly made in the workshops of D.H. Phillips in Birmingham around 1947 or earlier. Indeed, the solid silver dancer brooches by Frederick Massingham, made around 1947–49 for D.H. Phillips, Birmingham, are part of a referenced series with model numbers registered under design number Regd. Des. App. No. 847735. In 1948 (which I verified on another brooch I sold), models numbered C-XXX were being produced.
Examples of Frederick Massingham's creations are exhibited in the jewelry section of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
This splendid brooch embodies the grace of movement captured in metal. Its voluptuous drapery, aerial pose, and generous size make it a sculpture-brooch in its own right, bearing witness to the vintage elegance of the post-war era.
It features a "push-in" tube clasp or trombone clasp, which is pulled to insert or remove the pin, like a retractable tube, typical of the 1940s-50s, attesting to its authenticity and era.
In a full spin, with arms raised and dress in motion, this dancer seems suspended out of time.
Dimensions: 6 cm X 6 cm, weight 23.28 g.
It is in excellent condition.
A collectible sculpture-jewelry piece, to wear or to admire.
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