Christian DIOR Large "Lily of the valley" brooch in gilded metal decorated with princess rhinestones and fantasy pearls featuring sprigs of lily of the valley. Signed 11.5 x 6 cm Very good condition Brooch represented on the flyleaf of the book "Bijoux Christian DIOR", by Gisela Wiegert Exhibition: Christian Dior Museum in Granville, 2024 Kunstmuseum Den Haag, The Hague (Netherlands), The tradition of the lily of the valley was started by fashion designers: "The tradition of the sprig of lily of the valley on 1 May goes back to the great French couturiers who gave one to all their little hands on that date, thus introducing a custom that made 1 May a day of celebration in Paris. The famous couturier Christian Dior even made it his emblem and a famous perfume, Diorissimo". "In the spring of 1954, I suggested the Lily of the Valley line, inspired by my lucky flower, a line that was young, supple and simple, with a colour that gave it its style: Paris blue", says the designer in his biography "Christian Dior et moi" (published by La Librairie Vuibert). In 1954, he devoted an entire line to the flower, with its delicate whiteness and fragrance. He rewrote this love letter three years later with the "Lily of the Valley" dress, part of the Libre line, whose flounces were embroidered with bells. The lily of the valley played such an important role in Christian Dior's designs, above all because he believed in its qualities as a good luck charm: "Christian Dior was very superstitious and decided to make it the emblem of his fashion house. He often wore it in his lapel for good luck. He even dedicated his spring 1954 collection to the lily of the valley. Despite the designer's death, the tradition of the lily of the valley remains firmly rooted at Dior: "Between 1961 and 1964, Marc Bohan designed a wedding dress called 'Bonheur'. This strapless gown in white silk organza was composed of a shorter skirt with flounces echoing the shape of the lily of the valley bells, and a camisole. The artistic director's obsessive style was completed by a belt, also featuring a lily of the valley motif. To open the Dior autumn-winter 2007-2008 show, John Galliano called on Gisele Bündchen, wearing a Bar suit accessorised with an XXL brooch in the shape of a lily of the valley and a long black skirt. The motif will also be found in the men's collections of Kim Jones, in the Dior Maison lines, and transformed into precious jewellery by Victoire de Castellane, artistic director of Dior joaillerie. In 1987, the historic façade of 30 avenue Montaigne was decorated with huge sprigs of lily of the valley to mark the 40th anniversary of the house. In March 2022, when the store reopened, customers were offered... sprigs of lily of the valley,