Art as Jewelry as Art
Art as Jewelry as Art
Masenza Roma
Masenza-Roma Choker designed by Afro Basaldella
Lot Closed
October 6, 04:25 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 10,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Masenza-Roma
Masenza-Roma Collar designed by Afro Basaldella
circa 1960s, signed Afro, inscribed on the inside Masenza-Roma, stamped with makers mark and 750
unique 18k yellow gold collar of a ‘calligraphic’ design, accented with round faceted white diamonds, double hinged closure
Internal Circumference: 14⅓ in.; 36.3 cm.
Band at Widest: ½ in.; 1.2 cm.
Private Collection, Untied States
Graham Hughes, International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery 1890-1961, The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London, 1961, no. 74 for similar work
Rosemary Ramsey Stewart and Casa Italiana Zerilli- Marimò, Afro, De Luca Editori d’Arte, Rome, 2015, p. 34 for a similar version
This Afro for Masenza-Roma Collar was designed by Afro Basaldella and executed by the house of Mario Masenza. Masenza, born into a family of jewelers who had supplied the Italian Royal family since 1924, thought post-war art in Italy was exciting. As an art collector himself, Masenza recruited his favorite artists to design jewelry. Because all the jewelry was made in the workshop of Masenza, it developed a certain recognizable look and the bright yellow-gold color and hand of his craftsmen became a style unto itself.