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The Rehan Jewel
The Rehan Jewel

The Rehan Jewel

Manufacturer
Retailer
Date1895-1905
Geographic OriginNew York, New York | United States of America
MediumGold, enamel, plique a jour enamel
DimensionsOverall (Brooch): H 4 x W 3 in. (H 10.2 x W 7.6 cm)
Credit LinePurchase 2013 Helen McMahon Brady Cutting Fund
Object number2013.2.1A
On View
On view
Object NameBrooch | Necklace
Title Details
Label Caption Title The Rehan Jewel
Marks and Labels/Stampsmarked on back of brooch: "MARCUS & CO. 18K" In gold letters, case lid interior, "MARCUS & CO./JEWELERS/5th AVENUE COR. 45th St./NEW YORK"ProvenanceThe original owner of this jewel was Ada Rehan 1857-1916. For that reason I would name this "the Rehan jewel" as its formal title. Not well known today, the Irish-born Ada Rehan was one of the most famous stage actresses in America of her time. In 1894, John Singer Sargent painted a full-length portrait of her, which is now in the Metropolitan Museum. Coincidentally, Rehan made her debut as a teenager in a theater in Newark, NJ. She went on to be the toast of both the American and the London theater world, and when she died in 1916 - at 58 - of an arterial disorder, the NY Times gave her a lengthy obituary with a photograph. According to the letter accompanying the jewel, it was left to a friend of Ada Rehan's, who in turn left it to her daughter, who, after 50 years, passed it on again. Exhibition History"Jewelry: From Pearls to Platinum to Plastic," Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey (June 27, 2015-ongoing)
"New York and the Gilded Age", Museum of the City of New York, New York, New York, 11/10/2013 - 1/4/2015
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