Art and Jewelry: two sides of the same beauty
That art and jewellery are an inseparable union is a fact. These two sides of the same beauty have always gone hand in hand, since ancient times.
Let us discover more about how art and the world of jewellery are truly one and the same.
Jewels in works of art: two sides of the same beauty
Many famous painters, in fact, included references to precious jewels worn by ladies and knights of bygone times in their works. One above all: ''The Girl with a Turban'' by Johannes Vermeer, also known as "Girl with a Pearl Earring".
Jewellery stimulates, just like painting, the senses, but also the mind and passion. The connection between the two sides of art is continuous, so much so that often jewellery design draws on famous paintings and frescoes. The dialogue between art and jewellery is constant and helps to increase the charm of our already much-loved trinkets!
Famous works
In the history of art, we also notice a beautiful showcase of precious stones: pearls, diamonds, topazes, lapis lazuli, cameos, alabasters and other wonders appear in many famous canvases, carrying symbolic meanings.
Painters and sculptors of the past were accustomed to practising in goldsmiths’ workshops, to appreciate their technique before bringing it onto canvases and paintings. A continuous exchange, then, took place in the past between painting and goldsmithing.
Goldsmith art in the past
In the sixteenth century, a flourishing period for all applied arts, the fashion for jewellery began to spread in courts, leading to the writing of many treatises on goldsmith art. During the Renaissance, then, the precious accessory lost the magical and ritual character of previous centuries, becoming fully the accessory we know today.
Modernism and jewellery
The main current to consider, when we speak of art and jewellery, is undoubtedly that of Modernism and the early avant-gardes. Jewellery and paintings of the period, in fact, were created with the same distinctive style and often by the same artists! Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Georges Braque: did you know that these painters produced, besides the famous paintings, also numerous jewels and goldsmith objects?
Great brands, great art
In Modernism and especially in Art Nouveau, the simple line of the Liberty style is appreciated, combined with the energy of nature.
It is no coincidence that great names in jewellery such as Bulgari and Cartier drew inspiration, in their craftsmanship, precisely from the historical period spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries!
Twentieth century between art and fashion
In the 1900s, the craft of goldsmithing became a truly recognised trade, not only for the stylistic references between jewellery and artistic fashions, but also for the creation of two new professional figures: the artist-jeweller and the jeweller-couturier. Artist’s jewels and costume jewellery contrasted with high goldsmithing, producing many technological and stylistic innovations that we still appreciate today in our accessories.
Art and Jewellery: two sides of the same beauty
In short: jewels go from being amulets of good fortune to becoming true symbols of art and social life. Over time, thanks to the intervention of the visual arts, we have discovered the value of jewellery as a fashion accessory, without forgetting that it is always a lasting good. However you understand your jewels, though, never forget that you are wearing true works of art!
An example? The wonder of the Fancy jewels by Ferro Gioielli Design. A union of creativity and quality that is perfect to make us fall in love!
