LOOKING TO ID ANTIQUE ENAMELED SAILOR BROOCH

Hi all, newbie here! I collect many things from bygone eras & I'm looking to begin ID'ing some of those things here. I recently purchased this brooch on Ebay & it's unlike anything I have in my collection. I would love any & all info one may be able to provide me with! Thanks in advance .

 

Figure looks very Dutch to me.

 

Wow, thanks so much for the quick reply! Exactly what I was thinking!

 

Yes the figure represents a Volendam fisherman, surrounded by tulips. Both Dutch themes.
It is unlikely to be Dutch made, but part of the late 19th-early 20th century 'Hollandmania'. Could have been made in Germany.

 

Thanks so much, @Any Jewelry! I was pretty confident regarding it being Dutch themed as soon as I saw it, but the rest of the info you provided me with is a HUGE help! I like to learn as much as I possibly can about the things I collect, but some things can be difficult to ID through a general web search. Definitely grateful to have stumbled upon this site .

 

You're welcome.
A bit more info, those ready made pin backs where first used in the early 1920s.

 

Do you mean just the pin part or the entire thing minus the enameling? Prior to that, did they look different?

 

The pin part, the strip with the pin and clasp which is attached to the back. But that also helps to date the entire thing, including the enameling.
It is generally seen on base metal brooches.

Prior to that, the hinge (with the pin) and the clasp would have been soldered on to the back, like on this brooch:

 

@Any Jewelry I can't thank you enough! That's such a big help for me!

 

Just an explanation of 'Hollandmania'.
That was a fashion which developed in the industrialized parts of the Western world in the late 19th century. It was a longing for a simpler life, symbolized by the idyllic picture of Dutch farming and fishing villages where charming traditional costumes were still worn.
Needless to say, if they had known of the hard life in many of these villages, and thought of the countless lives lost at sea, they wouldn't have thought it so romantic.

 

I like the brooch. What is the diameter? Just out of curiosity. I have nothing to add to Any Jewelry's expertise. And, welcome to Antiquers, @fortheloveofcollectibles !

 

This kind of motif shows up a fair bit on Staffordshire made pottery of the early twentieth and into the 1920s.

 

Thanks for sharing this, @Any Jewelry ! I absolutely love learning about these things! To this day, there is still nothing romantic about that way of life. I live it first hand, being the wife of a commercial fisherman!

 

Thanks for the welcome, @Figtree3 ! I will have to get back to you about the diameter, as I don't have it with me at the moment!

 

@Ownedbybear Thanks so much for that extra lil' tidbit of info . This site will be so valuable for me!