Art as Jewelry as Art
Art as Jewelry as Art
Michele Oka Doner
Set of Two ‘Talisman’ Necklaces
Lot Closed
October 6, 06:29 PM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Michele Oka Doner
b. 1945
Set of Two ‘Talisman’ Necklaces
1987, signed
two patinated bronze and diamond necklaces formed with individual links of wire, one strung with nine bronze pendants studded with diamonds in various configurations and the other strung with sixteen, in original ‘radiant motif’ box
Necklace A: 16½ in.; 41.9 cm.
Necklace B: 16¼ in.; 41.3 cm.
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner
Michele Oka Doner, Soulcatchers 2008-9, JF Chen, Los Angeles, 2009, for similar necklaces
These ‘Talisman’ Necklaces reflect Oka Doner’s interest in primitivism, abstraction, and natural forms. For inspiration she drew upon thousands of years of superstition, religion, and mythologies concerned with the apotropaic nature of soul catchers - protective pendants that meld form and function, securing the wearer’s safety while adorning their body. While the wearer may form their own opinions about what the pendants represent, the small heads and shells are taken to another dimension with the addition of diamonds, of which the artist consistently updates her
original design and adds more - a dimension inhabited by Oka Doner’s unique view of the world as a sculptor, sorceress, philosopher, and businesswoman. Symbols of natural imperfection and remnants of times past create a vision of adornment that melds form and function.