Art as Jewelry as Art
Art as Jewelry as Art
Property of a Private Collector
Giò Pomodoro
Unique Modular Ring
This lot has been withdrawn
Lot Details
Description
Property of a Private Collector
Giò Pomodoro
1930 - 2002
Unique Modular Ring
1970, unique, each piece signed Giò Pomodoro
18k yellow and white gold and enameled precious-metal ring with four interchangeable pieces; lot sold together with original fitted felt box and signed Certificato di Garanzi No. 275 from L’Uomo e l’Arte s.p.a. 20 January 1972, which includes a black and white promotional photograph by unknown photographer (possibly Ugo Mulas); lot 47 also includes the 1971 Vogue Italia no. 242, magazine with promotional advertisement for L’Uomo e l’Arte, ‘giò pomodoro/gli ornamenti,’ p. 2 for illustration
A) 1⅝ by 1¼ by 1¼ in.; 4.13 by 3.1 by 3.1 cm.
B) 1 9⁄16 by 1 9⁄16 by ⅝ in.; 3.96 by 3.96 by 1.58 cm.
C) 1¼ in by 1¼ by 9⁄16 in.; 3.1 by 3.1 by 1.42 cm.
D) 1⅞ in by 1⅛ in.; 4.76 by 2.85 cm.
Size: 7 (US)
L’Uomo e l’Arte S.p.A., Milan, 1971
Collection of Thomas Wailing (acquired from the above in 1972)
Christie’s London: Thinking Italian Design, October 16, 2019, [Lot 31]
Louisa Guinness Gallery, London
Acquired as a gift from the above by the present owner
L’Uomo e l’Arte, ‘giò pomodoro/gli ornamenti,’ Vogue Italia, no. 242, 1971, ill. p. 2
David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti, Understanding Jewellery, Antique Collectors' Club, Suffolk, England, 1989,
In the 1970s, jewelers were exploring the limits of abstract shapes and movable parts with modular jewelry as a reaction to mass production. Giò Pomodoro was no exception and created this Unique Modular Ring using a mechanical element in two tones of gold and joining it with distinctive shocks of black, white, and red enamels. The ring was designed in four parts with a fitted case and may have been shot by renowned photographer Ugo Mulas for its initial exhibition at the L’Uomo e l’Arte gallery in Milan in December 1971, giò pomodoro/gli ornamenti. Prominent fashion brands such as Bulgari later incorporated Pomodoro's modular jewelry ideas to great success, creating 'an easily recognisable and stylish product of high quality at a reasonable price.' (David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti, Understanding Jewellery, Antique Collectors' Club, Suffolk, England, 1989, p. 449)