This silver pendant, crafted in the cloisonné enamel technique, is inspired by a remarkable milestone in the history of European art - the birth of the Gothic style in the mind of Abbot Suger. At the Abbey of Saint-Denis, Suger formulated and embodied the idea of Lux Nova ("New Light"), laying the foundations of Gothic architecture. In short, he saw in the radiance of stained glass a pathway of ascent from the material to the spiritual.
Here is the poetic inscription composed by Suger for the portal of Saint-Denis:
Portarum quisquis attollere quaeris honorem, Aurum nec sumptus, operis mirare laborem. Nobile claret opus, sed opus quod nobile claret Clarificet mentes, ut eant per lumina vera Ad verum lumen, ubi Christus ianua vera...
Whoever thou art, if thou seekest to extol the glory of these doors, Marvel not at the gold and the expense, but at the craftsmanship of the work. Bright is the noble work; but, being nobly bright, the work Should brighten the minds, so that they may travel, through the true lights, To the True Light where Christ is the true door...
The metal partitions within the quatrefoil of this pendant function similarly to the lead cames of a Gothic stained-glass window, and the enamel color palette conveys the spring atmosphere of the Île-de-France.