Necklace
Artist: Giò Pomodoro (Italian, 1930 - 2002)
Artist: Giuseppe Fusari (Italian)
Date: 1964
Dimensions:
3 1/2 × 6 1/8 × 5 11/16 in. (8.9 × 15.5 × 14.5 cm)
Medium: Yellow and white gold with emeralds
Classification: Metalwork
Credit Line: Purchased with funds given by Georgia E. Welles
Object number: 2019.52
Label Text:Giò Pomodoro, along with his brother Arnaldo, learned the techniques of goldsmithing from jewelers in Florence, Italy in the 1950s. While his early work often included intricate relief design, this necklace is comprised of hand-cut yellow gold plaquettes, each with a border of white gold. Pomodoro’s dynamic and elegant design includes a kinetic ball and other insect-like movable elements, as well as 31 circular-cut emeralds. Regarded as Pomodoro’s masterpiece, the necklace was featured in the 1967 show Jewelry by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors, organized by the Museum of Modern Art, New York and subsequently traveled around the world with the exhibition.
DescriptionComposed of five pure 24ct gold textured plaquettes (the large flat sections you see in the center). These were hand-cut, shaped and textured by Pomodoro. It is decorated with an 18ct yellow gold armature, melted gold granules, and numerous fanciful elements, including a kinetic ball. It is embellished with 31 circular or square-cut emeralds, each in a tube setting. Small, rods hold the elements together and it was assembled with the assistance of jeweler Guiseppe Fusari.
On view