Page 33 - JOA 12-20

Jewelry For America at The Met

hree hundred years of jewelry pieces tell the story of how American jewelers absorbed and
design and innovation is on reinterpreted lessons from a vast global history to create a rich and
Tdisplay at The Met’s Jewelry for varied body of work. It also reveals how entrepreneurs established
America exhibition, which opened in a national industry that would become a major producer of fine
June 2019 and has been extended for and artistic jewelry.
now due to The Met’s closing because
of Covid-19. The exhibition features Examples of Ingenuity and Creativity
over 100 items from The Met’s own Items in the exhibit include 18th and 19th century portraits by
jewelry collection, showcasing the the likes of Gilbert Stuart (of Matthew Clarkson, a distinguished
best and most unique examples from New York political figure and Battle of Saratoga veteran, circa
known and unknown artists and jewelry 1794) and John Singer
designers to tell stories about America’s love Sargent (Mrs. Henry
affair with jewelry in all its forms, and the Galbraith Ward, circa
evolution of this popular American industry. 1891-94), their subjects

dressed and adorned with
Building the Collection the jewelry of their day.
American jewelry was first acquired by the Museum Designers’ works from the
in 1883 and was the focus of a small exhibition in 19th/early 20th century by
the spring of 1926. Since then, through generous Louis Comfort Tiffany,
gifts and judicious purchases, the Museum’s holdings Cartier, and Florence
have grown to encompass a wide array of American Koehler; and later 20th
adornments. century pieces by The
The curator of the exhibition, Beth Carver Wees, Kalo Shop, Kenneth Jay
the Ruth Bigelow Wriston Curator of American Lane, House of Chanel,
Decorative Arts at the Met, organized Elsa Peretti, and Alexander
William Harper’s 1993 Fabergé’s the exhibition into five broadly Calder, among others.
Twins brooch refers both to chronological sections: “Sentimental New York Times
Fabergé eggs and the gold objects Journey,” including small sentimental reviewer Heidi Kreamer-
made by the Ashanti people of objects, such as treasured family heir- Garnett wrote of the This c. 1900 brooch was created by
West Africa. looms transported by immigrants to exhibit, “From the depths Theodore B. Starr, a prominent New York
jewelry firm during
colonial America, and mourning jewelry; “American Industry;” of dark, eerie mourning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in the
“Fin de Siècle Brilliance;” “Nature and History as Inspiration;” rings, to the joyful, long Egyptian revival style that was popular
and finally, “Creativity and Innovation.” seed-pearl sautoir that from the 1860s to the 1920s.
The exhibition is housed in a flowing gallery space just off could have graced the neck
the Henry R. Luce Center of a flapper, visitors can enjoy the allure of these objects and also
for the Study of American ponder what they tell us about the twists and turns, ups and
Art in the American Wing downs, of a nation’s history.”
and is a bit of a follow-up With so many beautiful objects to choose from it’s hard to pull
to the sweeping jewelry out a few show-stoppers, but some of the more unique items on
exhibition which the Met display include a pair of lorgnettes made by Cartier in New York
mounted in November of circa 1905 for the art collector and philanthropist Jeanette Dwight
2018, Jewelry: The Body Bliss, whose
Transformed. initials appear
The exhibition reveals on the nose-
significant changes in styles, piece; a cameo
materials, and techniques by George W.
that occurred over the Jamison circa
course of three centuries, 1835 depicting
including the early use of President
hair to memorialize loved Andrew
ones (mourning jewelry), Jackson. It was
Carved from helmet conch shell by the turquoise and coral made from
George W. Jamison, this c. 1835 cameo of
President Andrew Jackson is set in a black work of the Pueblo peoples helmet conch
enamel border with of the Southwest, the rise shell with a
gold lettering paraphrasing Jackson’s of costume jewelry, and A Diamond Lorgentte by Cartier in New York for black enam-
famous dinner toast: today’s unconventional the art collector and philanthropist Jeanette Dwight Bliss, eled border
“The Union, It Must and Shall Be Preserved.” forms. Collectively, these whose initials appear on the nosepiece, c. 1905, etched with a

December 2020 31