138. GEORGES BRAQUE: OPAL 'FISH' BROOCH, CIRCA 1960 The openwork body with geometric motifs in yellow gold, the eye set with an opal cabochon, signed BIJOUX de BRAQUE by HdeL, numbered, French hallmarks for 18K gold (750 ‰), master hallmark for Jean BONDT, size 8.00 x 3.60 cm, gross weight 25.57 g. Georges Braque, a major figure in modern art and co-founder of Cubism alongside Picasso, profoundly marked the 20th century with his quest for form, material and harmony. From the start of his career, Braque experimented with new techniques and worked with a variety of materials - sand, wood, engraved copper - developing a visual language based on pure lines and geometric structure. In 1961, Braque teamed up with the jeweller and lapidary Henri-Michel Heger from Löwenfeld to create a series of jewels inspired by his visual universe and Greek mythology. This collaboration gave shape to pieces that combined pure forms, timeless symbols and noble materials. The fish in Braque's work : Fish, another recurring motif in Braque's work, appeared in his early cubist still lifes. He represented them in stylised form, in assemblages of triangles, rhombuses and abstract volumes, merging nature and geometry. This approach, both contemplative and structured, continued in his later sculptures and compositions.