From Function to Fantasy: The Brooch: Brooches from the Bronze Age to the Contemporary at Wartski

1 - 12 October 2025

Overview

The exhibition spans the Bronze Age to the Contemporary

The exhibition spans the Bronze Age to the Contemporary, and include loans from museums including the V&A, the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Musée Lalique and the Schmuckmuseum, as well as the National Trust, English Heritage and the Goldsmiths’ Company.

I am delighted my 18 kt Fairtrade gold Calligraphy brooch has been selected for this exhibition - loaned from the Goldsmiths' Company.

The majority of the works will be drawn from private collections. Brooches of wide ranging-inspirations and themes will be featured, as will Royal, French Imperial and Russian Imperial examples. From Sarah Bernhardt to Suffragettes, Sir Edward Burne-Jones to Salvador Dali, famous wearers and designers will be represented as well as the most distinguished jewellers of the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Joanna Hardy writes: For all jewellery lovers this is a must see exhibition spearheaded by Katherine Purcell held at Wartski, St James, London to celebrate their 160 years. ‘From Function to Fantasy The Brooch’ is a real delighted and a triumph, showcasing brooches from 1200 BCE to the present day. The loan exhibition is a masterclass in curation and has brought jewellery back into academia. The catalogue is scholarly and beautifully written by Katherine Purcell, Joint Managing Director of Wartski. You will be in for a treat.

"But as soon as you see a brooch being worn on a shoulder, or [artist jeweller] Ute Decker wears them on her back, you immediately think, 'Oh now that’s somebody I’d like to get to know.' It implies a quirkiness.”

Thrilled to discover this kind compliment from Katherine Purcell, curator and joint director of Wartski, featured in the FT article by Kate Youde.