Winged Seahorse Brooch

Combining the attributes of a horse, a sea creature and wings, this mythological figure spans three realms; land, water and sky which is associated with ideas of power and dominion across these realms.

Looted from the Lydian tumuli near Uşak in the 1960s and taken out of Türkiye, the brooch was reclaimed in 1993 following a long legal battle. In 2005, it disappeared once again, this time from the museum where it was exhibited. Recovered in Germany, the original brooch returned to Türkiye for a second time in 2013.

Its modern history is as remarkable as its ancient origins; lost, reclaimed, stolen and returned. The Winged Seahorse has travelled across borders and decades, carrying its story into the present.

D’Evin reinterprets this historic figure through a contemporary jewellery language. In D’Evin’s interpretation, the Winged Seahorse becomes a symbol of transformation, continuity and the strength to endure through changing circumstances.