From September 19, 2022 to October 2, 2022, American jewelry brand David Webb presents "A Walk in the Woods: David Webb's Artful Animals," an exhibition of jewelry at its Madison Avenue showroom in New York City. The exhibition reviews animal-themed jewelry and rare manuscript materials created by David Webb from the 1950s to the present. Following the "forest" created by photographer Noah Kalina and cellist Patrick Belaga, we enter the animal kingdom created by David Webb with sculpted crystals, abstract enamels and precious stones of all colors.

Since 1948, when the brand was founded, David Weber's style has been in a class of its own. His style is a blend of ancient Greek, Mesopotamian, Central and South American antique jewelry and traditional Chinese and Indian jewelry.His designs are unconventional in material, using bold colors of coral and jade, and integrating exaggerated sizes and exquisite details in gold. The most familiar pieces are the animal-themed "Kingdom" series, in which zebras and frogs appear to leap out of the wearer's collar or cuffs, and have become the quintessential representatives of 1960s jewelry design.

In 1957 David Weber created the first animal-themed jewelry piece, inspired by the Indian sea monster. Made of platinum and yellow gold, with curved emeralds and round-cut diamonds, the dragon bracelet was purchased by Elizabeth Taylor and subsequently named The Elizabeth Taylor Makara Bracelet. Of course, Elizabeth Taylor's love for David Weber's work did not stop there, as she also created a second, highly symbolic animal-themed piece, the Two-Headed Lion Necklace. This piece features a detachable diamond lion's head with pear-shaped emerald eyes and a round emerald collar, while the body of the chain is made of twisted pearls, making it wildly feminine.

David Weber's most emblematic Zebra Bracelet was created in 1963. Formerly owned by Diana Vreeland, editor-in-chief of American Vogue, the hinged walls of the bracelet are decorated with colored enamel, vividly shaping the black and white zebra pattern, the zebra's eyes are set with curved rubies, and the mouth holds a diamond clasp for a seamless visual effect.

Another work that made David Weber famous was the Green Enamel Twin Frog Bracelet, created in 1964 as a gift from the Duke of Windsor to his wife. Also hinged, the piece features two opposing green enamel frogs with round-cut diamonds in their mouths and curved ruby accents in their eyes. David Weber believed that this relaxed green color would bring him good luck. That same year, David Weber won the Coty American Fashion Critics' Award for his animal-themed jewelry designs. Since then, the jewelry designed by David Weber became the leading jewelry brand in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s.

In addition, the exhibition also features a Carved-Coral Monkey Brooch created in 1975, which was the last piece designed by David Weber during his lifetime. The head and body of the monkey, carved from red coral, are attached to the paws and tail shaped from gold, and the eyes, set with teardrop-shaped emeralds and sapphires, add to the color and vibrancy of the piece. The diamond bracelet worn on the monkey's wrist is another highlight of the piece, adding a touch of wit to the vividness.

In addition to reviewing the history of the brand, David Weber also presented a new owl-themed piece at the exhibition, inspired by two unofficial manuscripts of jewelry designs. One of the gold brooches portrays an owl perched on a branch, with a heart-cut amethyst-set belly and alternating white and green enamel-painted wings, vividly recreating David Weber's animal muse.

If David Weber inadvertently created an animal kingdom, this exhibition is a journey to its natural habitat, where we travel in the company of classic animal forms such as frogs, zebras, snakes, horses and monkeys. David Weber's bright enamel, textured gold and a range of motifs from the ancient world are transformed into a celebration and love of nature, and it is perhaps this idiosyncratic language of jewelry that has earned him the reputation of "Fabergé of today".

As Ruth Peltason puts it in David Webb: The Quintessential American Jeweler: "David Webb was a brilliant jeweler in the right place at the right time. He makes boldly shaped, colorful, one-of-a-kind jewelry for women. He takes his signature animal motifs and sets them in his favorite, warm gold."

From his original Makara bracelet, to his eventual coral monkey brooch, to today's owl-themed brooch, David Weber has completed the metamorphosis from personal legend to brand legend, truly taking a distinctive path. He embraces gold, embraces color, and awakens the most authentic voice of nature in our hearts with his "unconventional" animals.

Article Source:艺术与设计

版权声明：【除原创作品外，本平台所使用的文章、图片、视频及音乐属于原权利人所有，因客观原因，或会存在不当使用的情况，如，部分文章或文章部分引用内容未能及时与原作者取得联系，或作者名称及原始出处标注错误等情况，非恶意侵犯原权利人相关权益，敬请相关权利人谅解并与我们联系及时处理，共同维护良好的网络创作环境，联系邮箱：603971995@qq.com】