Cross pendant in 585/1000 (14k) yellow gold with applied decoration of foliage and adorned in its claw setting with fine orange stones.
The cross called “Mistralian” was created at the end of the 19th century during the revival of Provençal pride inspired by “Félibrige”, the regional association of Frédéric Mistral. In openwork gold, it is set with rose-cut diamonds. Frédéric Mistral (or Frederi Mistral in Provençal) (1830-1914) French writer and lexicographer who spoke in Provençal Occitan, founder of the Félibrige collective, ardent defender of Provence, its traditions, its language and its identity. His Nobel Prize in Literature for a work in a regional language in 1904 gave the Provençal language international recognition. This Nobel is the first to recognize an “unofficial” language. Through his literary work, he highlighted Provençal imagination and poetry. In this, he was the inventor of Provence. It was during the period when the political desire to standardize the territory through language generated the laws of Jules Ferry which made school compulsory, free and secular. Patois are thus banned from schools and teaching must be done in French everywhere and for everyone. It was in these circumstances that Frédéric Mistral was forced to abandon the practice of his mother tongue, Provençal, for French. After obtaining his law degree, he set about defending the essence and independence of Provence.
Height: 56.7 cm X width: 35.6 cm excluding bail Gross weight: 6.9 cm Hallmark: shell
Provence, France
Late 19th century
