Brooch c. 1937

This design for a brooch was made on paper by Kurt Melzer. What strikes me is the intricacy of the design, almost like a drawing of a drawing. The overlapping loops and the way the pearls are rendered give it a delicate, handmade feel. The texture of the paper itself becomes part of the piece, creating a soft, almost velvety background. Look at the way Melzer uses the pencil to create different densities of tone, building up the form of the brooch through a careful layering of marks. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the page, meticulously rendering each tiny pearl. There’s something about the precision and detail that reminds me of technical drawings, but with a touch of whimsy. It puts me in mind of Hilma af Klint’s botanical drawings, but with jewels. It feels like a conversation between art, craft, and design.