The Philippe Wolfers jewelry firm (Wolfers Brothers) was founded in Brussels in 1834 by the Belgian jeweler Louis Wolfers. His son Philippe Wolfers, born in 1858, attended drawing and sculpture classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels while studying the family’s goldsmithing. He was also a student of the enameller L. Wuillon in Paris. Philippe joined the family business in 1875 as a gold and silver jewellery, and after his father’s death in 1892 became artistic director of the silver firm. At the beginning of his career, he created products in the Rococo style, but by 1994 he began to adhere to the Art Nouveau aesthetics.
Jewelry by Philippe Wolfers created between 1897 and 1905 is stamped “ex [emplaire] unique” to distinguish it from other Wolfers products. In total, he created about 100 unique works in the most elegant Art Nouveau style, inspired by nature and Japanese art. In 1908, Philippe moved away from jewelry design to become a sculptor.
