Art and Jewelry: Two Faces of the Same Beauty

It is a fact that art and jewelry are an inseparable union. These two sides of the same beauty, in fact, have always gone hand in hand, since ancient times.

Let's find out more about how art and the world of jewelry are truly one.

Jewels in Artworks: Two Faces of the Same Beauty

Many famous painters, in fact, have included in their works references to precious jewels worn by ladies and knights of the past. One above all: ''The Girl with the Turban'' by Johannes Vermeer, also known as "Girl with a Pearl Earring".

Jewelry stimulates, just like painting, the senses, but also the intellect and passion. The reference between the two sides of art is continuous, so much so that jewelry design often refers to famous paintings and frescoes. The dialogue between art and jewelry is constant and contributes to increasing the charm of our already much-loved bijoux!

Famous works

In the history of art, then, we notice a beautiful showcase of precious stones: pearls , diamonds , topaz, lapis lazuli, cameos, alabasters and other wonders appear in many famous paintings, bringing with them symbolic meanings.
Painters and sculptors of the past used to practice in goldsmiths' workshops, to appreciate their technique before transferring it to canvases and paintings. A continuous exchange, therefore, that occurs in the past between painting and goldsmithing.

Goldsmith art in the past

In the sixteenth century, a period of flowering for all the applied arts, the fashion of jewelry began to spread in the courts, producing the writing of many treatises on goldsmith art. During the Renaissance, then, the precious accessory lost the magical and ritual character of the previous centuries, becoming in all respects the accessory we know today.

Modernism and jewelry

The main current to consider, when we talk about art and jewelry, is undoubtedly that of Modernism and the early avant-garde. In fact, jewelry and paintings of the period were created with the same particular style and often by the same artists! Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalì, George Braque : did you know that these painters produced, in addition to the famous paintings, also numerous jewels and goldsmith objects?

Big brands, big art

In Modernism and Art Nouveau in particular, the simple line of the Liberty style is appreciated, combined with the energy of nature.
It is no coincidence that the great names in jewellery such as Bulgari and Cartier have taken inspiration, in their craftsmanship, from the historical period spanning the 19th and 20th centuries!

Twentieth century between art and fashion

In 1900, the art of goldsmithing became a truly recognized profession, not only for the stylistic references between jewels and artistic fashions, but also for the creation of two new professional figures: the bijoutier-artiste and the bijoutier-couturier . Artist jewels and fantasy jewels contrasted with high goldsmithing, producing many technological and stylistic innovations that we still appreciate today in our accessories .