Akanto by Gian Luca Bartellone

Necklace / Design Pattern Classical

Piece selected for the Friedrich Becker 2014 Prize.
Jewelry by Gian Luca Bartellone blossoms in opulent, often floral forms and vibrant colors, thus recalling the style of the Baroque era. But his “Bodyfurnitures” collection is not the result of a historicizing retrospective gaze: rather, these are modern pieces of jewelry that break traditional norms and mischievously question deeply rooted perceptual habits. Although Bartellone draws inspiration from tradition, he treads new paths with daring combinations of materials: for example, he unites gold, gemstones and silk with papier mâché or paper. Their lightness and flexibility predestine them to serve as the basis for his elaborately crafted pieces of jewelry. The mix of materials in his jewelry is clearly unconventional, but these are “familiar playmates” for this academically trained goldsmith, who says that his fondness for these materials can be traced to his childhood in Lombardy.
(Art Aurea Magazine)