The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Patina Necklace
c. 1955
(American, 1917–1982)
28.3 x 15.6 x 0.6 cm (11 1/8 x 6 1/8 x 1/4 in.)
© The Estate of Art Smith
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Art Smith was an African American artisan jeweler who created bold, expressive jewelry while living in New York City’s Greenwich Village in the 1950s and 1960s.Description
Patina is an iconic necklace design from one of the most innovative American artisan jewelers of the 20th century, Art Smith. Living and working in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Smith created bold, expressive jewelry that reflected similar trends in architecture, interior design, and fashion. Smith’s work is sculptural, referencing the biomorphic, asymmetrical work of Alexander Calder and Harry Bertoia, among others. His work is also technically challenging, incorporating precise volumes and weights so that the components will hang properly; contours that cling to the body as if an extension of it; and intricate finishing to achieve just the right amount of surface texture—an aspect so important to this design that he named it Patina.- The artwork is a necklace of roughly textured, crescent-shaped elements that form an open arc. Two flattened wires are soldered together to form the neck piece and then curve down at the proper right and attach to a conforming, attenuated crescent. At the top proper left, a small crescent with a central oval cutout cradles the curve of the neckline. At the bottom, two crescents with cutouts are suspended by soldered small, coiled jump rings. The artist’s signature is engraved in cursive next to the STERLING stamp. There are moderate amounts of gray and brown tarnish overall, as well as minor amounts of polish residue from previous cleanings. There is a thin layer of airborne soils and embedded grime noted overall.
- c. 1955-?Private Collector, Washington, DC?-2019330 Gallery, Hudson, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art2019-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- {{cite web|title=Patina Necklace|url=false|author=Arthur George (Art) Smith,|year=c. 1955|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2019.36