Jean Painleve, the first man to film a male seahorse giving birth and his extraordinary journey to become a jeweller.
He released his film 'The Seahorse' in 1934, in which he filmed for the first time, male seahorses have contractions and release hundred of baby seahorses. Using a homemade underwater camera (pictured right) he made many films on the subject of marine biology. All of which depicted the playfulness, violence and unpredictability of the animals, making them seem more human in the process.
All his films were set to dramatic music, creating the new genre of film 'scientific-poetic cinema'.
With the hit of his film 'The Seahorse' Painleve and his wife Geneviève Hamon designed and released a collection of fabrics and jewellery based on the film. Sold under the name 'JHP', standing for ' Jean Hippocampe Painlevé', it was sold in French department stores with tanks full of seahorses for advertising.
The idea behind the the jewellery was to be that it was 'affordable but elegant' and salt erosion proof so it could be worn in the sea. To make it affordable the Bakelite (early plastic) and gold plated brass seahorses were held together with screws (seen below on bracelet).
Due to their popularity the designs were copied almost instantly and due to their ease of production fakes flooded the market. But Jean Painleve continued to make new series of jewellery with seahorse, lizard, winged lions and bee motifs.
See below for my personal collection:
I believe in collecting and preserving these pieces and wearing them often to share them with others.
I few need restoration, such as the white Bakelite bangle which need re-plating, while others and broken and will be tastefully made into new pieces. An example of this is the white Bakelite winged lion brooches, which I am hoping to pair with strings of pearls to make an extravagant necklace.
You cannot keep history alive without sharing ti with everyone and I think this is a wonderful legacy to keep alive.
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