Description

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Jewellery and the universe are bound together not just in the Ancient Greek sense of the word 'cosmos'; the sun, moon and stars invariably also found their way into representative forms of art jewellery around the world. While magical, mythological and religious references stood mainly at the forefront of ancient and non-European cultures, over the course of recent history it was on decorative grounds that jewellery pieces with cosmic motifs became so coveted. Whether K chert in Vienna, Faberg in St Petersburg or Lalique in Paris, the great jewellers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were all inspired by heavenly forms. Today, interest in celestial bodies remains unbroken among contemporary internationally celebrated jewellery artists. With his new, richly illustrated book, the long-standing head of the Jewellery Museum Pforzheim presents for the first time a comprehensive review on the star motif in jewellery - from Ancient Egypt to the present day.

Text in English and German.

About the Author

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Fritz Falk, who holds a doctorate in art history and is also a master goldsmith, was the director of the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim from 1970 to 2003. Playing a paramount role in shaping the museum collection, he presided during his tenure about 150 exhibitions with a wide-ranging thematic focus on historical and modern art of jewellery as well as ethnology. Since 2004 Fritz Falk is consultant of the Russian Museum for Ethnography, Saint Petersburg. He has written numerous publications in the fields of jewellery and ethnology.