Art as Jewelry as Art
Art as Jewelry as Art
From an Important European Collection
After Jean Cocteau
Deux Tétes (Two Faces) — 1494
Lot Closed
October 6, 05:27 PM GMT
Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
From an Important European Collection
After Jean Cocteau
1889 - 1963
Deux Tétes (Two Faces) — 1494
executed posthumously any time from 1967 to 2002, signed Jean Cocteau on reverse and stamped edition 20/50, 2974, Monique Hugo goldsmith's mark, Atelier Hugo number 1494, French assay mark
23k yellow gold pendant with wooden box
2⅝ by 2¾ in.; 7 by 6.6 cm.
51.84 g.
Artcurial, Paris: Art Moderne Sculptures d'or et d'argent, December 11, 2002 [Lot 610]
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Clare Siaud and Pierre Hugo, Bijoux d'artistes, Artist's Jewels, Hommage à François Hugo, Les Cyprès, Aix-en-Provence, 2001, p. 82
In a complex and prolific partnership, artist Jean Cocteau collaborated with goldsmith François Hugo to create medallions like these. For Picasso, Hugo created versions from terracotta or plaster models, but for Cocteau he transcribed surreal flora, masks, and the shapes of men and animals into metal.
This Deux Têtes (Two Faces) coin features two abstracted, surreal faces in profile, leading the viewer to question whether they are talking, admiring each other, or even modeling for us. It is even possible to ask — are they representations of Cocteau and his lover Édouard Dermit, about to celebrate their love?