Broche van gouddraad met bloem met hart van bloedkoraal c. 1940 - 1950

This flower brooch with gold thread and a heart of blood coral came into being at the hand of Carel Theulings. Imagine Theulings sitting at their workbench, coaxing the gold into delicate tendrils and shaping the coral to fit his vision. There's something so tender about the way the petals reach out, and the way the leaves curl, like a secret language whispered in metal and stone. I wonder what Theulings was thinking as they fashioned this piece? Was it a token of love, a celebration of nature, or something else entirely? I keep thinking about the spiral of gold and how a painter like Kandinsky might use a similar form to suggest movement and energy, or how the intense red of the coral could be used by someone like Rothko to evoke deep feelings. It makes me feel so connected to other makers through time.