WILD NATURE AT WEXLER GALLERY

Philadelphia, PA, May 3-June 30

Wexler Gallery presents WILD Nature, a group show exploring themes relating to the natural world, the human condition, and the idea of the sublime. Featured artists will include Christy Langer, Julie Anne Mann, Andy Paiko, and AJSRA member and jewelry artist Jennifer Trask.

WILD Nature will investigate the awe-inspiring and sometimes terrifying qualities of nature, a topic widely explored by artists and writers during the Romantic period in Europe. Using a variety of mediums and techniques, featured artists will explore the exotic worlds of flora and fauna from an allegorical approach, often drawing from personal experiences, memories, and dreams. The show will also consider connections between the human subconscious and the wilderness of the physical world. 

Jennifer creates complex wall hung and wearable pieces tediously assembled from bones and animal remains, as well as precious metals and stones. Her most recent body of work, Unnatural Histories, investigates the precarious and complicated relationship between human beings and the natural world. Derived from the artist’s examination of the structures of plant and animal life, her imagery often references microscopic patterns of growth found in nature.  According to the artist, “the results are oddly metaphoric, unnatural histories that embody both a peculiar passion for, and contentious relationship with, nature itself.”

Jewelry Exhibition to Open in Ohio April 1, 2012

A new exhibition, The Finer Things: Jewelry & Accessories from the 1890s-1930s, will open at Stan Hwyet House and Gardens, Akron, OH on April 1. Stan Hwyet is the former home of F.A. Seiberling, the founder of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. The 60 room house is the seventh largest home in the United States...ahead of the White House.

The thrust of this exhibition is to display the type of jewelry that Mr. and Mrs. Sieberling might have worn in the time that they lived at Stan Hwyet. This refers to both jewelry that is appropriate in style to the time period and also of the quality that people of their social status and wealth might have purchased.

There is no jewelry that actually belonged to the Seiberlings in the Stan Hwyet collection but there are clues in photographs and receipts that are in the collection. The curator is overlaying this useful information with jewelry history knowledge of these time periods as well as with their interests and lifestyle.

For example, there are images of Mrs. Seiberling wearing a big “art style” pendant. From receipts it is known she did purchase art studio jewelry from Horace Potter of Cleveland. The fact that the Seiberlings had Samuel Yellin, the most important cast metal artist of his time fabricate the gates, door knobs and other metalwork for Stan Hwyet, indicates they were afficionados of the Arts & Crafts movement at the turn-of-the century which included art jewelry.

In addition, it is believed that Mrs. Seiberling would have known of the work of artistan/jeweler Louis Comfort Tiffany because part of a desk set by Tiffany is in the Stan Hwyet collection. Mrs. Seiberling was an artist herself and she traveled to New York where LC. Tiffany’s studios were located. He  catered to a wealthy clientele.

Another example is a charming early 20^th century brooch that was given to someone as an award for participating in a musical event. Mrs. Seiberling might well have been given such a piece for her participation in the music world for which she was well-known.

Wherever possible photographs of the Seiberlings will be shown near pieces of jewelry similar to what they are wearing in the photographs. On view will be a pocket watch presented to Mr. Seiberling by his employees. The photograph of his grandson as a baby pulling a pocket watch (not the same one) from his grandfather’s pocket will be shown near it.

In addition, hats, gloves, handbags, and Mrs. Seiberling’s wedding gown will be on display. Jewelry is intimately related to jewelry and it will help to give a more complete picture of the time.

The jewelry periods which will be included in the exhibition are: Late Victorian (Mrs. Seiberling would have inherited some of these pieces from her family), Edwardian, Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau (all simultaneous styles circa 1900-1915), and Art Deco.

The curator of the exhibition is Elyse Zorn Karlin, co-director of The Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts. The exhibition will run through October 30, 2012.

International Art Jewelry Exhibition Opens

The exhibition International Art Jewelry:1895-1925 has opened at The Forbes Galleries, New York City and will run through March17, 2012.

The following is partially excerpted from the catalog essay:

Towards the end of the 19th century and in stark contrast to the dark and heavily ornamented world of the Victorian era, a new design aesthetic emerged. It was to survive for roughly 30 years until surpassed by the strong linearity of the Art Deco period. This new artistic direction emerged in many countries around the world although the impetus for it varied in each nation. It was at once a reaction against the strictures of the present and a look forward to the beginning of a new century, though it also incorporated references to the past.

Jewelry, like all of the decorative arts, provided the opportunity for exploration and experimentation, and often expanded the boundaries of mainstream design. The new art jewelry was initially meant to be worn and appreciated by a select group of people with artistic tastes, but as the movement’s popularity grew, commercial versions were produced increasing availability. Today, even the more commercial output is recognized for its elegant design and is widely collected.

The historical, political, and social events that influenced the change in design direction differed in each country, as did the materials, techniques, and motifs employed. And yet there is a common thread running through art jewelry of the early twentieth century that unites the movements. Referred to by a number of different names: Arts and Crafts (Great Britain, United States), Glasgow Style (Scotland), Art Nouveau (France, Belgium, United States),

The goal of this exhibition is to show both the enormous range of pieces made during this period as well as the relationship between the various art jewelry/design reform movements in many countries in the early 20th century.

The hope is that by viewing many of these pieces together it will actually help to blur the lines...to show that they are part of a whole rather than distinctly separate movements or styles. The jewelry and objects in this show were created by artisans in many countries who were anxious to produce something fresh and new using their own backgrounds.

Catalogs are available for $30...email elyse@jewelryandrelatedarts.com.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON, OPENS NEW GALLERY DEDICATED TO JEWELRY

 

The Inaugural Exhibition Jewels, Gems, and Treasures: Ancient to Modern Features Jewelry  Including Pieces Worn by Mary Todd Lincoln Four Millennia, Marjorie Merriweather Post, and Coco Chanel

As the saying goes, “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”—at least in modern times—but as the exhibition Jewels, Gem, and Treasures: Ancient to Modern illustrates, ornaments made of ivory, shell, and rock crystal were prized in antiquity, while jewelry made of diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and pearls became fashionable in later years. The exhibition opens July 19 and runs through November 1, 2012 and highlights some 75 objects representing the rich variety of jewels, gems, and treasures that have been valued over the course of four millennia. Drawn from the MFA’s collection and select loans, these range from a 24th-century BC Nubian conch shell amulet, to Mary Todd Lincoln’s 19th -century diamond and gold suite, to a 20th-century platinum, diamond, ruby, and sapphire Flag brooch honoring the sacrifices of the Doughboys in World War I. Jewels, Gems, and Treasures is the inaugural exhibition in the MFA’s new Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation Gallery. The gallery—one of only a few at American museums solely dedicated to jewelry—will feature works from the Museum’s outstanding collection of approx-imately 11,000 ornaments. It is named in recognition of the generosity of the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation.

“The opening of the Museum's first jewelry gallery provides an ongoing opportunity for the MFA’s collection to shine,” said Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the MFA. “In this inaugural exhibition, visitors will see a wide range of gems that will both inform and dazzle in a beautiful new space that will allow the MFA to showcase its stellar assemblage of jewelry, which ranges from ancient to modern.”

Jewels, Gems, and Treasures sheds light on how various cultures throughout history have defined the concept of “treasure,” showcasing an exquisite array of necklaces, rings, bracelets, pendants, and brooches, as well as mineral specimens. In addition, the exhibition explains the significance of jewelry, which can be functional (pins, clasps, buckles, combs, and barrettes); protective (talismans endowed with healing or magical properties); and ornamental, making the wearer feel beautiful, loved, and remembered. Beyond functionality and adornment, jewelry can also

establish one’s status and role in society. Rare gems and precious metals, made into fabulous designs by renowned craftsmen, have often served as symbols of wealth and power. This is especially evident in a section of the show where jewelry worn by celebrities is on view, including fashion designer Coco Chanel’s enameled cuff bracelets accented with jeweled Maltese crosses (Verdura, New York, first half of 20th century) and socialite Betsey Cushing Whitney’s gold and diamond “American India Headdress” Tiara (Verdura, New York, about 1955), which she wore to her presentation to Queen Elizabeth II in 1956 as the wife of the US Ambassador to the Court of St. James.

The significance of precious materials in jewelry in the 20th century is explored in the exhibition, where several modern adornments from the MFA’s Daphne Farago Collection examine jewelry’s traditional roles in society. Among them are a 1985 brooch of iron, pyrite, and diamond rough by Falko Marx and a 1993 ring by Dutch jeweler Liesbeth Fit entitled Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend. (The Daphne Farago Collection comprises 650 pieces of contemporary craft jewelry made by leading American and European artists from about 1940 to the present.)

“Jewelry is a powerful cultural signifier, and the materials used in its fabrication vary considerably. This exhibition examines both traditional and unusual substances used to create some of the world’s most extraordinary adornments,” said Yvonne Markowitz, the MFA’s Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan Curator of Jewelry, whose position is the first endowed curatorship dedicated to the study of jewelry in a US museum.

Jewels, Gems, and Treasures begins with a look at jewelry made of organic materials— substances readily available and easy to work with, such as ivory, shell, wood, and coral. These range from a pair of ivory cuff bracelets from Early Kerma culture in modern Sudan (2400–2050 BC) to more sophisticated creations made possible through the advancement of tools. Examples include a gold, silver, carnelian and glass Egyptian Pectoral (1783– 1550 BC) and a Nubian gold and rock crystal Hathor-headed crystal pendant (743–712 BC) recovered from the burial of a queen of King Piye, the great Kushite ruler who conquered Egypt in the eighth century BC. In addition to having magical properties that protected the wearer against malevolent forces, adornments such as these were often buried with their owners as their amuletic capabilities were needed during the arduous journey to the afterlife. On the other side of the globe, Mayans wore ear flares (not in exhibition)—conduits of spiritual energy—made of sacred green jadeite that represented key elements of human life.

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Various cultures throughout the ages at one point believed that amber could cure maladies, coral could safeguard children, an animal’s tooth or claw could invest the wearer with strength and ferocity, and gold and silver invoked the cosmic power of the sun and moon. In Medieval and Renaissance Europe, many hard stones were believed to have magical properties (some were even ground and consumed), and pendant reliquaries containing a holy person’s cremated ashes or bone fragments were often donned, along with rosaries (Rosary, South German, mid-17th century), as sacred adornments. Even today, zodiac ornaments and good luck charms are sometimes worn as tokens, recalling their earlier mystical importance.

Throughout much of history, jewelry’s role as a symbol of one’s elevated status has inspired the wealthy to seek out stones that sparkle, gold that gleams, and designs that reflect the greatest artistry money can buy. To illustrate this, Jewels, Gems, and Treasures features some of the most opulent works from the Museum’s jewelry collection, including an 1856 diamond wedding necklace and earrings suite given by arms merchant Samuel Colt to his wife (the 41.73-carat suite, purchased for $8,000, is now valued at $190,000) and Mary Todd Lincoln’s gold, enamel, and diamond brooch with matching earrings, which she acquired around 1864, shortly after the death of the Lincolns’ beloved son, Willy, and then sold in 1867 to pay mounting debts. Also on view is a Kashmir sapphire and diamond brooch (around 1900); a gold, silver and diamond necklace made by August Holmström for Peter Carl Fabergé, the famous Russian jeweler to the czars; and cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post’s lavish platinum brooch from the 1920s, featuring a spectacular 60-carat carved Mughal emerald surrounded by diamonds, which she purchased in anticipation of her presentation at the British court in 1929.

Also on view in the exhibition are superb adornments made by leading French Art Nouveau jewelers, which were fashioned for a wealthy and artistic clientele in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The Art Nouveau movement, which originated in Europe, embraced an aesthetic that was avant-garde, sensuous, and symbolic—one that looked to the natural world, the Impressionists, and the arts of Japan for inspiration. In response to the “tyranny of the diamond”—the all white platinum and diamond jewelry previously in vogue—these elaborate, one-of-a kind pieces often featured colored gems and unusual materials, such as horn, enamel, irregularly shaped pearls, steel, and glass.

An example in the show is René Lalique’s fanciful gold, silver, steel, and diamond Hair Ornament with antennae (about 1900). The Arts and Crafts movement, which emerged in Britain during the 1870s as a reaction to the mechanization and poor working conditions of the Industrial Revolution, is represented by Marsh-bird brooch (1901–02) by Charles Robert Ashbee, who sought to create a delicate stained-glass effect with this piece. The refined techniques of the Art Deco movement are evident in Japanesque brooch (about 1925), incorporating platinum, gold, enamel, diamonds, rubies, and onyx. The movement arose after World War I and continued through the 1930s. It was influenced by avant- garde ideology, as was the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements, but instead chose to express its aesthetic through geometric shapes, linear stylization, and a return to platinum and diamonds.

Jewels, Gems, and Treasures also highlights a variety of interesting and unique pieces, such as a Suite of hummingbird jewelry (brooch and earrings, about 1870), made out of gold, ruby, and taxidermied hummingbirds; an ebony, ivory, silver lapis lazuli, and amber casket designed to showcase the amber cameos and intaglios collected by William Arnold Buffum (about 1880–85); an Indian silver and tiger claw necklace (19th century); and a gold, silver, agate, diamond, and ruby animal sculpture,The Balletta Bulldog (about 1910) made by the workshop of Peter Carl Fabergé Fabergé. In addition, the exhibition features jewelry as seen in William McGregor Paxton’s painting, The New Necklace (1910).

THE MFA JEWELRY COLLECTION

The jewelry collection at the MFA is one of the most comprehensive in the world. It numbers nearly 11,000 objects acquired through Museum-sponsored excavations, donations, and purchases made during the past 140 years. The collection includes jewelry from nearly every continent, spanning 6,000 years. Until recently, jewelry came under the domain of the Museum’s curatorial departments where it was stored, studied, and displayed. Then, in 2006, a jewelry curatorship was funded by the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation and named in honor of Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan, mother and daughter, who are not only avid jewelry collectors but also passionate supporters of the study of jewelry history. The Museum’s collection includes ornaments representing a wide array of materials, techniques, and functions. Objects collected range from Neolithic Chinese belt ornaments of jade and excavated beadwork from Egypt’s Pyramid Age, to ancient Greek gold and American colonial and Federal-period jewelry. With the gift to the Museum of approximately 650 pieces of contemporary craft jewelry from the Daphne Farago Collection, the MFA now holds the most comprehensive collection of 20th-century studio jewelry ever assembled.

THE RITA J. AND STANLEY H. KAPLAN FAMILY FOUNDATION GALLERY

Named in honor of the generosity of MFA Great Benefactor, The Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, the gallery’s creation was inspired by Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan, who are interested in broadening the understanding of the meaning and cultural context in which jewelry was made and worn. The Kaplan Family Foundation Gallery will enable the MFA to display in a dedicated space highlights of treasures from its world-class jewelry collection. Future rotations will showcase between 50 and 100 pieces, depending on the size of the works. Adornments will be shown in cases that create an intimate, glowing jewel-box environment, with special lighting to enhance the appreciation of the objects.

CATALOGUE

Complementing the exhibition is the 210-page book Artful Adornments: Jewelry from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, written by Yvonne features approximately 125 works from the MFA’s jewelry collection. With 200 color illustrations, this volume presents an array of adornments, from an emerald and diamond brooch once owned by the cereal- fortune heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, to a rock crystal and gold amulet found in the tomb of an ancient Egyptian queen, and a 20th -century kinetic necklace influenced by the mobiles of Alexander Calder. Thematic chapters illuminate the many ways in which jewelry has functioned in society. Beginning with some of the earliest known manifestations of the uniquely human urge to adorn the body, the first chapter unveils magical jewels made out of materials believed to safeguard, heal, or confer special powers on the wearer. Ornaments that signify the wealth or power of an individual make up the second chapter, and, in the third, tokens of affection and remembrance are brought to the fore. The final chapters explore adornment as dress and jewelry as an expression of avant-garde art movements. Spanning five continents and nearly six millennia, Artful Adornments presents the variety and brilliance of the jeweler’s art from around the world and throughout the ages. Generous support for the catalogue was provided by Skinner, Inc., Dorfman Jewelers of Boston, and Michael and Karen Rotenberg. It will be available in hard cover for $55 in the Museum’s three shops and online at www.mfa.org/publications.

The famed Rizzoli Bookstore in New York city will feature the catalogue in their window beginning July 25th for two weeks.

EMERALD RING FOUND ON OCEAN FLOOR

Thirty-five miles west of Key West, treasure hunters searching the shipwreck site of a famous Spanish galleon discovered a large emerald and gold ring buried in the ocean’s floor.

The crew that made the discovery has estimated its value at $500,000. It is likely that it came from the Muzo mines in Colombia and is about 10 carats in size in an antique setting.

Last year was the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the ship and the firm of Mel’s Treasures continues to search for the Atocha’s sterncastle, the rear part of the ship where the clergy, aristocrats and ship captain kept their valuables for safekeeping which would have included gold, silver and many rare Muzo emeralds. It is believed that 60 pounds of theemeralds were on the ship, some smuggled on board in a 70-pound keg to avoid the Spanish king’s 20 percent tax.

Discovered with the ring were two silver spoons and two silver encrusted objects, which will be examined in the conservation lab at Mel Fisher’s Treasures in Key West.

The find was within 300 feet of a gold rosary and gold bar that were unburied earlier this year.

Mel Fisher’s Treasures has been searching for the Atocha’s buried treasure since 1969; to date the company has recovered about $500 million in historic artifacts, gold, silver and emeralds. The firm estimates that another $500 million from the Atocha is still buried and waiting to be discovered.

GENERAL LEE'S SWORD RETURNING TO APPOMATTOX

There is a myth of the Civil War that Robert E. Lee surrendered his sword to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, and Grant refused the traditional gesture of surrender. But the truth is that this never happened.

But in an interesting historic moment Lee's French-made ceremonial sword will return to Appomattox 146 years later, leaving the Richmond museum where it has been displayed for nearly a century.

The Museum of the Confederacy in downtown Richmond is delivering one of its most-treasured pieces to Appomattox for a new museum that it's building less than a mile from where Lee met with Grant to sign the document of surrender on April 9, 1865. This is where the Army of Northern Virginia formally surrender three days later bringing an end to the Civil War which left about 630,000 dead.

The sword, scabbard and the Confederate gray uniform Lee wore to his fateful meeting with Grant will be displayed about 75 miles west of Richmond when the museum opens next spring.

Senior curator Robert F. Hancock said the Lee sword remains one of the Confederacy museum's biggest attractions.

"It's a one-of-a-kind piece," he said. "There's really no replacement so you can't put a value on it. It's like putting a value on the Mona Lisa. It can't be done."

The scabbard is made of blued steel. One side of the blade, in raised letters, reads: "Gen. Robert E. Lee CSA from a Marylander 1863."

The Lee admirer who had it commissioned in Paris by Louis-Francois Devisme is not known.

The other side of the blade reads: "Aide toi dieu l'aidera." Translated, it means, "Help yourself and God will help you."

Russell Bernabo, a fine object conservator, was selected by the museum to restore the piece to its original luster. He considered 12 different samples of gold before settling on a match: 23-karat Italian gold in tissue-thin sheets, used to restore gilt to the engraved text on the blade, the hilt and pommel.
The sword was intended for ceremonial use and there is no evidence Lee used it in battle. Lee surrendered after his forces were blocked near Appomattox Court House.

The Virginian returned to Richmond after the surrender and then became president of what is now Washington and Lee University; he died on October 12, 1870 and is buried in the university's chapel.
Lee's descendants permanently loaned the sword to the Museum of the Confederacy in 1918. The family bequeathed the sword and scabbard to the museum in 1982.

ASJRA American Jewelry Event Trip To The Original Miami Antiques & Jewelry Show, February 2012

The Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts is offering a trip centered around attending the Original Miami Antiques & Jewelry Show. It will be limited to a maximum of 20 people. It will run from February 2-5, the dates of this famed show, which has more than one-third of the dealers specializing in jewelry...some of the top dealers in the world appear at this show.

This year, for the first time, the majority of the dealers will be located in one location.

The trip will include all entry fees to the show and some special privileges. ASJRA experts will speak to a number of dealers ahead of time to find out the important pieces of historical interest they will have with them, and we will spend time with them looking at these pieces and discussing them. You will of course have time to do some browsing on your own.

The trip itinerary includes a walking tour of the architecture of the historic Art Deco district of Miami, a guided tour of the fascinating Wolfsonian Museum of Propaganda Art, a visit to the extraordinary Vizcaya Museum and Gardens (the former Villa and Estate of business-man James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune, on Biscayne Bay), a tour and cocktail party hosted by the Miami Art Museum, a dinner hosted by US Antique Shows for ASJRA members, a reception at History Miami following a visit to their Map Fair, lunches for three days, and possible other events to be announced. US Antique Shows will work with us to get the best rates on quality hotel rooms. Travel will be on your own.

The price for the trip will be determined soon but if you are interested email us so that we may put your name on the list to be notified when details are firm.