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Costume Art: 5 Jewels and Watches That Belong On the Met Gala Red Carpet
The upcoming Met Gala argues that fashion is art—we agree! This week's Shortlist features 5 finely wrought pieces of wearable art you can bid on now.
O n Monday, 4 May, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Vogue will co-host The Met Gala, aka the Oscars for Fashion, aka the best red carpet of the year. This year's exhibition, curated by Andrew Bolton, is called Costume Art and will explore "depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body." The gala's dress code is more straightforward: Fashion is Art.
We couldn't agree more. At Sotheby's we are incredibly lucky to bear witness to some of the most incredible works of art ever created—and sometimes these come in the form of hand-crafted jewelry and watches. In fact, our Spring Luxury Week will soon take place in Geneva, with beautiful pieces headed to auction in the coming weeks that, without a doubt, qualify as art.
Below, five jewels and watches you can bid on now that would be right at home on that famous Met Gala stairway.
Boucheron Brooch
This vintage brooch/pendant from Boucheron is a marvelous piece of wearable art. It was designed in 1900 as a giardinetto, a popular trend from the era when pendants, rings and brooches that looked like baskets and vases filled with flowers became de rigueur. This one features a pear-shaped rose-cut emerald which acts as the urn from which a delicate spray of flora—made up of old mine and single-cut diamonds, vari-cut rubies, emeralds and sapphires—emerge. The three elongated diamond briolette drops are an unusual, but beautiful, addition making this piece a superb example of Boucheron’s exquisite craftsmanship.
Tiffany & Co. Earrings
These 1990s-era lapis lazuli, mother-of-pearl, and diamond earclips from Tiffany & Co., are reminiscent of Mediterranean tiles. With their mis-matched geometric design and elegant diamond frame, these clips make for a distinctive and directional offering for the New York City-based house. Additionally, the pendants are detachable, so the lapis lazuli knots can be worns as studs on quieter fashion days.
H. Moser & Cie Endeavor
Though nothing can truly match Mark Rothko's way with color, this enameled dial channels the contemporary master's enchanting gradients. Minimal and refined, the "Grand Feu" enamel dial features a finely hammered texture wrought in a vibrant lime green fumé gradient. The effect is one of striking depth even as the rest of the timepiece is clean and simple.
Cartier Brooch
Cartier's temple brooches are amongst the firm's most iconic designs. Emerging in the early 1900s, they were one of the most playful examples of Art-Deco design from Cartier. This one, made from rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds set in yellow gold, is being sold as part of a collection assembled by an elegant Italian signora and represents a period of time in which anything—even architecture—could serve as inspiration for jewels.
Patek Phillippe Celestial
There is a reason that Patek Phillippe's star-charted timepieces are so desirable—in addition to be impressively complicated, they are absolutely hypnotic to behold. This piece, a white gold astronomical wristwatch with sky chart, phases and orbit of the moon including time of meridian passage of Sirius moon is likely a pre-production model of the 5102 Celestial making it extraordinarily rare and inimitably mesmerizing.
