Product Title
CHANEL / Robert Goossens Archive
Dolphin-Head Multi-Chain Necklace
Unworn CHANEL Prototype, c. 1954–1960s
Product Description
A rare and evocative CHANEL necklace in which the splendour of ancient Mediterranean ornament is translated into the language of modern couture jewellery.
Composed of innumerable fine curb chains, the necklace falls in a soft cascade of gold, each strand held at measured intervals by elongated openwork rectangular links. The effect is both architectural and fluid: a disciplined construction that nevertheless appears to drift and shimmer like sunlight moving across the surface of the sea.
The clasp forms the sculptural heart of the piece. Two dolphin heads face one another, each modelled with a powerful, almost archaeological texture, their mouths holding large imitation pearls. At the tip of each pearl, a single rhinestone adds a small point of light, like a glint caught on water. The CHANEL signature is engraved on a rectangular plaque, affirming the piece’s place within the Maison’s historic decorative language.
The dolphin, a motif deeply rooted in ancient Greek art, carries associations with the sea, protection, abundance and mythic passage. Here it is not treated as a literal natural form, but as an emblem: a creature of antiquity reimagined through the theatrical eye of CHANEL and Robert Goossens. The many chains suggest waves, nets, sacred adornment and the golden movement of the tide, giving the necklace the presence of a small museum object as much as a piece of wearable jewellery.
This necklace is a CHANEL prototype from the Robert Goossens archive, acquired directly from Robert Goossens himself. Preserved in unworn condition, it is an exceptional archival piece, combining couture history, sculptural fantasy and the ancient-world inspiration that so strongly informed some of CHANEL’s most distinctive jewellery designs.
Details
Brand: CHANEL
Designer / Workshop: Robert Goossens
Date: c. 1954–1960s
Material: Gold-plated gilt metal, imitation pearls, rhinestones
Length: Approximately 47 cm
Signature: CHANEL plaque
Condition: Unworn
Provenance: CHANEL prototype from the Robert Goossens archive, acquired directly from Robert Goossens himself
