Wiener Werkstaette-inspired jewelry 2008 $275-$8,300

摘要

At the turn of the last century, Vienna was a hotbed of progressive art and design. Nowhere was the spirit more in evidence than at the Wiener Werkstatte, the Vienna workshop co-founded by Josef Hoffmann. The architect applied his revolutionary vision to large-scale projects but also to finely crafted jewelry. Banishing the swirling shackles of Art Nouveau, he designed silver bracelets and brooches in orderly geometries studded with colorful semi-precious stones. These modern baubles spoke a new language of decoration, and their distinctive hallmark, the Werkstatte's double W in a square, remains a graphic reminder of the impact architects and artists can have when they join forces to change their world. At the Werkstatte, there was little pretense of making affordable objects for the masses. Beautifully crafted and functional furniture, ceramics, metalwork, and fashions exuded an avant-garde spirit for a rarefied clientele.