Max Joseph Gradl designed Art Nouveau jewelry in Germany. At least some of his designs were produced by Theodor Fahrner of Pforzheim, Germany -- one of the leading manufacturers of fine art jewelry on the Continent from 1855 to 1979.

I don't know if he designed for Fahrner exclusively, but every example I found was produced by that firm. I assume it was also the same M.J, who edited a book on Art Nouveau Stained Glass which was reissued by Dover and is still available -- but I have not yet confirmed that. More…

For an artist as accomplished as Gradl was, he is very tough to research. There just does not seem to have been much written about him. The jeweler is visible in most of his typeface designs. They exhibit a sculptural quality as if they were modeled in clay (or gold) rather than drawn on paper. His monograms, especially, reflect that quality.

Those shown in plates 112 through 116 in Petzendorfer actually appear to have been designed specifically for fabricating in the form of gold or silver pendents. Of the initial letters that came out of Germany during this period, these by Gradl seem unusually open and lyrical. They seem to be dancing on the page, rather than sitting.

Please note that Gradl designed only the decorated initials. All other characters supplied were extrapolated by HiH. Character 172 is based on a jeweled gold clasp designed by Gradl. Also included are an art nouveau girl’s face, a swan and the face from Munch’s “Scream,” from scans of old printer’s ornaments.