 | The works on view in "Baubles, Bangles and Beads," the Yale Art Gallery's first exhibit devoted solely to jewelry, includes this Sterling silver and turquoise necklace, created by Frank Patania Jr. circa 1963 and given to the gallery by Natalie H. and George T. Lee., B.A. 1957. |
From demure brooches to ostentatious bling-bling, the dazzling ways people decorate themselves is the topic of the exhibition "Baubles, Bangles and Beads: American Jewelry from Yale University 1700-2005," on view Feb. 7-July 23 at the Yale University Art Gallery.
The show features a selection of precious and costume jewelry from the gallery's collection, many on public view for the first time. The exhibition considers the question of why Americans wear jewelry, and examines the meaning of personal adornment in American culture. It looks further into the roles that jewelry plays as a personal statement of style and taste, in the social rituals of mourning and in indicating an individual's cultural and social affiliations. This is the first exhibition in the gallery's history to specifically examine jewelry in its many forms.
"'Baubles, Bangles and Beads' is a celebration of the many unique and personal bejeweled objects with which Americans have historically adorned themselves," says Jock Reynolds, the Henry J. Heinz II Director of the Yale Art Gallery. "The exhibition also coincides with a continuously rotating display of the gallery's exceptional collection of American portrait miniatures, which has been the focus of extensive study and scholarship in recent years."
The new exhibit was organized by Erin E. Eisenbarth, acting assistant curator of American Decorative Arts and the Marcia Brady Tucker Curatorial Research Fellow. Eisenbarth is also the author of the exhibition catalogue.
Jewelry can serve as a physical representation of its wearer's sentiments, and as such, provides remarkable insight into an individual's life, notes Eisenbarth. "The desire to keep up with fashionable trends or to create new ones, sorrow at the loss of a loved one, membership in a group or society -- all of these and more can be seen in the jewelry people choose to wear and make. Jewelry helps keep these memories and meanings close at hand."
The exhibition is organized into three sections. "Personal Adornment" charts developments in American jewelry and shifts in significance, beginning in the 1700s. Jewelry plays an important role in revealing personal histories and contemporary culture, including trends in architecture, the decorative arts and fashion, notes Eisenbarth. Many pieces included in this section illustrate changes in taste and style as the items were passed down from one generation to the next. For example, a pair of miniatures from 1795, which were worn originally on velvet ribbons, were reset in the 1850s in elaborate French filigreed bracelets -- in keeping with rococo-revival fashions.
"Personal Adornment" also considers the broader question of jewelry's shifting cultural significance, in large part due to changes in manufacturing techniques. While early American jewelry served sentimental purposes, its more obvious function was to convey social status, explains Eisenbarth. With the advent of mass production in the 19th century, however, jewelry became accessible to a larger population, she says. In one example of a clasp by the Unger Brothers Company, machine stamping re-created at much lower cost the hand-crafted designs and techniques desired in high-end goods.
Another section, "Mourning and Remembrance," displays the jewelry associated with the precious memories of loved ones. In early colonial America, simple mourning rings were a popular form of jewelry, becoming more ornate over time and with changes in style. In 18th- and early 19th-century America, the portrait miniature -- usually painted in watercolor on ivory and often housed in an elaborate jewelry frame -- became an important art form, says Eisenbarth, noting that in the mid-19th century, photography became the medium of choice to remember lost loved ones. The exhibition features an unusual set of cufflinks housing a tiny pair of photographs, most likely of the wearer's parents, says Eisenbarth.
"Cultural and Social Organizations" features the unique objects created to signify membership in special groups. From the Society of the Cincinnati in the 18th century to the Freemasons and other fraternal organizations, the objects created for these groups show a desire for recognition and affiliation, says Eisenbarth.
"Baubles, Bangles and Beads" also features examples of costume jewelry, pieces from the 19th-century Arts and Crafts Movement, Native American-inspired designs from the American Southwest and art jewelry, as well as classics in silver by manufacturers such as Tiffany & Co.
The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue published by the Yale University Art Gallery, which will be available in softcover from the gallery's bookstore or online at http://artgallery.yale.edu.
"Baubles, Bangles and Beads: American Jewelry from Yale University 1700-2005" is supported by endowments made possible by the Friends of American Arts at Yale and a challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
In conjunction with the exhibition, there will be a gallery talk by the curator on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 12:20 p.m. In addition, a special master class, "Jewelry in America," is being offered 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursdays, March 30 and April 6 and 13. Eisenbarth will teach the three sessions, focusing on identification and interpretation of precious and costume jewelry. The master class is open to the public by registration; for more information, call (203) 432-9525.
The Yale University Art Gallery, located at the corner of Chapel and High streets, is free and open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday until 8 p.m. through June; and Sunday 1-6 p.m. For further information, visit the website at http://artgallery.yale.edu.
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