In 1897, a group of Austrian artists gave birth to a modern aesthetic movement known as the Wiener Secession, which explored the possibilities of art outside the confines of established academic tradition.
The Vienna Secessionist jewelry is inspired by a buckle designed by Secessionist artist/designer Josef Maria Auchentaller (Austrian,1865-1949) and produced by his father-in-law's firm Georg Anton Scheid (founded in 1882) in Vienna. The original buckle is gilded silver, enamel, and lapis lazuli. This piece was inspired by the collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.