The Little Mermaid Copenhagen Sterling Silver Charm Pendant | Bernhard Hertz BH | Vintage Denmark | c.1950s to 1960s | Fine

One of the most recognised figures in the world, rendered in miniature sterling silver by one of Copenhagen's most celebrated makers.

Den Lille Havfrue — The Little Mermaid — has sat on her rock in Copenhagen harbour since 1913, when sculptor Edvard Eriksen cast her in bronze as a tribute to Hans Christian Andersen's beloved fairy tale. She has become the symbol of Denmark itself, and this diminutive sterling silver charm captures her with remarkable fidelity: seated on her characteristic rounded rock, body turned, head bowed in that quietly melancholy pose that has made her one of the most photographed sculptures on earth. The suspension loop at the crown allows her to be worn as a charm or pendant, and the quality of the casting — the figure's form, the texture of the rock, the quiet grace of the pose — is of a calibre entirely consistent with the maker whose mark she carries.

The charm is stamped to the base BH Sterling Denmark — the registered mark of Bernhard Hertz, one of Copenhagen's finest and most historically significant jewellery houses. Founded in the nineteenth century, Bernhard Hertz became one of the great names of Danish silver and gold craftsmanship, producing pieces of consistent quality that are now actively collected on both sides of the Atlantic. Their Little Mermaid charms in particular — produced during the mid-twentieth century golden era of Danish silver souvenir jewellery — are among the most sought after of their type, and appear regularly in estate sales, specialist dealers and collector platforms at premiums well above unsigned equivalents.

Condition: Fine. The sterling silver is bright and well preserved with good surface detail throughout. The suspension loop is intact. A characterful and well-kept piece from a significant Danish maker.

About this piece: Bernhard Hertz Little Mermaid charms are collected by those with a love of Denmark, a passion for Hans Christian Andersen, an interest in vintage Scandinavian silver, or simply an eye for something beautifully made and full of story. This one has all of those qualities in a piece small enough to fit in a palm.

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