Art as Jewelry as Art
Art as Jewelry as Art
César
'Compression' Pendant
Lot Closed
October 6, 04:25 PM GMT
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Cesar Baldaccini
1921 - 1998
'Compression' Pendant
1998, signed César, French assay marks, and maker’s mark, registered in the Archives of Madame Denyse Durand-Ruel under number 814.
18k white, yellow, and rose gold rectangular pendant with a diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire, a coin showing Mercury with a caduceus, and retractable bail; executed by goldsmith Gérard Blandin; lot sold together with (magazine) Purple No 5, and (book) James Baldwin & Françoise Giroud, César: Compressions d’Or, published by Hachette, Paris, 1973
2 by 1⅛ by ¼ in.; 5 by 3 by 1 cm. (without bail)
Artcurial, Paris, January 17, 2022, lot 93
Acquired from the above by the present owner
James Baldwin & Francoise Giroud, César: Compressions d’Or, Librairie Hachette, 1973, pp. 10-16
Diane Venet, Bijoux d'Artistes, de Calder à Koons, la collection idéale de Diane Venet, Flammarion, Paris, 2018, pp. 52-53 for other examples
From the 1960s onward, French sculptor César compacted cars and all kinds of materials including paper, fabrics, and even family jewels. He used scraps of gold and silver, often set with other gemstones, to create works like this ‘Compression’ Pendant. They were crushed in a way that did not require solder for stability. Before compacting them, he would make photocopies of all the jewelry pieces contained in the compression.