The peacock, a bird emblematic of the Art Nouveau spirit and a symbolic representation of beauty in all its splendour, as a symbol of both the sun and the moon, is a recurrent theme in René Lalique’s work. It is depicted either alone, as in this case, or in pairs, as in other jewellery made by him. Lalique returned to this motif in decorative objects produced in glass during the Art Deco period.

This Peacock corsage ornament, enamelled in shades of blue and green, a material much favoured by Lalique, and punctuated by opal cabochons, was purchased directly from the artist by Calouste Gulbenkian in 1900. Iridescent opal is present in a large number of jewels in the Collection and was the artist’s favourite stone. The poet Robert de Montesquiou dedicated a verse to the artist in his compilation Les Paons (1901), the cover for which was illustrated by Lalique himself.