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Pair of Earrings
Artist: Harry Bertoia (American, 1915-1978)
Date: about 1948
Dimensions:
(Part A) H: 2 15/16 in. (7.5 cm); W: 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm);
(Part B) H: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm); W: 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm)
Medium: Brass; drilled, assembled, and hammered.
Classification: Metalwork
Credit Line: Purchased with funds given by Rita Barbour Kern
Object number: 2005.5A-B
Label Text:Sculptor/designer Harry Bertoia was educated at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a school that integrates art, craft, and industrial design. Bertoia’s whimsical brass jewelry often reflected his interest in kinetic sculpture.
DescriptionThe pair of hoop earrings is each constructed of four brass hoops of increasing size. The hoops are made of brass wire passed through a row of four small drill holes in a narrow strip of brass. Bent into concentric circles whose ends do not meet and do not overlap, they were then hammered flat on a slightly marred surface, picking up scars and imperfections in relief on one side and scratches from the hammering tool in intaglio on the other. The brass hoops have a natural oxidation patina. The two gold-plated suspension "fish-hooks" are modern replacements.
Not on view
In Collection(s)