Featured Incredible 1908 vermeil bracelet with insects and music trophy.

https://www.langantiques.com/university/falize/

 

Some beautiful pieces! The 1906 ad just seems to be noting the roots of Falize - and Lucien Falize registered the mark as his in 1892:




Hard to tell what the date and initials might mean - the only thing I found was 'Loi du 19 avril 1908', which seems to be concerned with associations, so seems doubtful anything to do with the bracelet, more likely something personal to do with the Falize firm, perhaps a family or employee gift?

~Cheryl

 

Agree on all points

 

Part of the mystery solved!

My friend, who identified the engraved Falize maker's mark ring symbol, found same bracelet in a presentation box by Falize, inscribed as "Poetry tournament" Femina (an early french magazine).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femina_(France)

This one was presented as a prize to Amelie Murat as winner of the Femina poetry tournament:

https://ameliemurat.wordpress.com/prix-femina/



I just ordered a whole year 1908 bounded Femina revue to see if there is something about my piece

 

Bravi! to both of you. Wiki seems to think the prize was not established until 1922, but obviously not so & yours is a really early one. I find it amusing that la cigale et et la fourmi were included in the symbolism, since it suggests someone who would rather sing than do domestic chores, truly liberated women. What a great find! Will/do you wear it?

 

It wasn't the "Prix Femina" as the Goncourt. There was one too in 1908, jury was exclusively feminine... a man won...
This bracelet price was for a feminine poetry contest organized by Femina (there were too sports, music, sing!).
And... YES! I wear it since I got it!!!

 

You've confused me. Thought the Prix Femina was established as a female poetry counterpart to the Prix Goncourt for (mainly) male prose. But the Wiki bit says:

The title gave its name to the Femina award from 1922

Was it called something else before 1922?

 

Hum, not sure... Searching for my poetry contest, I stumbled upon a list of Prix Femina winners from 1904!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prix_Femina

 

That is a very confusing fragment of an article. The 'link' for La Vie Heureuse goes to a page saying there is no article. The 1908 winner of that prize was this guy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Édouard_Estaunié

& looks like at least half the winners have been men. Or women using a male nom de plume, such as:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Corthis

As written, I'm having trouble reconciling:

The Prix Femina[1] is a French literary prize created in 1904 by 22 writers for the magazine La Vie heureuse (today known as Femina)

with:

The prize was called the Femina - Vie Heureuse Prize, and it was awarded to English writers, from 1920 to 1940. Among the winners were E. M. Forster in 1925 and Virginia Woolf in 1928.

There was some interruption during WWI, but awards were given 1917-1919. That was the last of it as a French prize & then it became English??

 

I love this bracelet, and the story to "discover" where does it come from

 

Merci!

 

Here is the page about same bracelet in the Femina year 1908!

 

Perfect!