Harry Bertoia

Crab-Shaped Brooch

Lot Closed

October 6, 04:07 PM GMT

Estimate

35,000 - 40,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Harry Bertoia

1915 - 1978

Crab-Shaped Brooch

circa 1943

delicate sterling silver brooch shaped like a crab that responds to the wearer’s movement and vibration

4 by 2¾ in.; 10.2 by 7 cm.

Toolmarks throughout. Some discoloration and small scratches associated with age and wear. Overall very fine condition.

The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The online condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance purposes only. The images of the lot also form part of the online condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Any reference to condition in the online condition report does not amount to a full description of condition. The online condition report may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the online condition report of the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The online condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the online condition report is a statement of subjective, qualified opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's (for example, information regarding colour, clarity and weight of gemstones are statements of opinion only and not statements of fact by Sotheby's). Please also note that we do not guarantee, and are not responsible for, any certificate from a gemological laboratory that may accompany the lot. In addition, certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot (for example, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades). For these reasons, the online condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. Prospective buyers should also refer to the relevant section the Buying at Auction guide which includes important notices concerning the type of property in this sale. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.

Private collection of the private secretary to Eero Saarinen Wright Auction, Chicago, Harry Bertoia: Material and Form, May 2, 2007 [Lot 817a]

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Nancy Schiffer and Val O. Bertoia, The World of Bertoia, Shiffer, Atglen, PA, 2003, p. 25 for a similar example

Town & Country, May 2018, ill. p. 114

Yvonne J. Markowitz, Artful Adornments: Jewelry from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MFA Publications, Boston, 2011, p. 166

Reading, PA, Reading Public Museum, In Nature’s Embrace: The World of Harry Bertoia, 2006 – 2007

Bertoia’s jewelry work is very rare, and his hammered brass and silverwork came from his years at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. His pieces like this Crab-Shaped Brooch are handmade and created with rivets and tension fittings. A similar example can be seen in Yvonne J. Markowitz, Artful Adornments: Jewelry from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MFA Publications, Boston, 2011, p. 166.