The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 4, 2024

Fishbone Brooch

Fishbone Brooch

c. 1941
(American, 1915–1978)
America
Hammered sterling silver
9.5 x 8.9 cm (3 3/4 x 3 1/2 in.)
Jo Hershey Selden Fund 2020.68
© Estate of Harry Bertoia / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Now known more for his sculpture and architectural design, Harry Bertoia first began his career designing jewelry.

Description

Artisan jewelry designers working after the Second World War often took inspiration from the natural world and adapted these forms for practical use. Harry Bertoia referenced the arcing nature of fishbones when he created this brooch early on in his career. The lyrical, dancing shapes are connected to a central spine like a mobile and animate the form when worn.
  • ?-1997
    (Gansevoort Gallery, New York, NY, sold to private owner)
    2019
    (Christie's Gallery, New York, NY, December 13, 2019, no. 14, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2019–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Bertoia, Harry, Shelley Selim, Celia Bertoia, and Cranbrook Art Museum. 2015. Bent, Cast & Forged: The Jewelry of Harry Bertoia. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: Cranbrook Art Museum. p. 36, plate 5
  • {{cite web|title=Fishbone Brooch|url=false|author=Harry Bertoia|year=c. 1941|access-date=04 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.68