Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Electric Skull Stickpin, 1867

Stickpin
Gold, Diamonds, Enamel
Fitted with Electrical Terminals
French, 1867
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Well, this is bizarre. In all my years of collecting stickpins, I’ve never come across one like this. Which, I think, is good--because it’s scary. But, it’s the kind of scary that’s interesting.
So, here we have a stickpin of gold, enamel and diamonds. So far, not so odd. But, it’s in the form of a human skull. Okay, that’s a little more peculiar, but we should remember that the human skull has long been used symbolically in art to represent vanity.

Now, here’s the truly strange part. The jewel is fitted with electric terminals so that, when connected to a battery concealed in the wearer's pocket, the eyes roll and the jaws snap. That, I think, would be a little unnerving, but nonetheless captivating.

This is the work of French jeweler Auguste-Germain Cadet-Picard. Cadet-Picard was celebrated for the electrical pins that he made and showed at the Paris 1867 Exhibition. At this exhibition, his jewels, and other jewels with moving parts by different designers—were the main center of attention.

Few examples remain because—with their tiny moving parts—such jewels were prone to breaking. So, it’s good to see that this one survives in the Victoria & Albert Museum.