U.S. museums have begun to acquire and exhibit world-class collections
of artistically significant heritage jewelry.
By Janet Zapata
Several years ago I was attending a panel discussion and was asked why jewelry education was taken less seriously in this country than it is in Europe. I answered that until museums begin collecting jewelry seriously, it will remain a step-sister of the decorative arts. Half the audience stood up and clapped! Today, I am pleased to report that museums have begun to “accession” (acquire by purchase or donation) jewelry just as they do the other decorative arts.
Some institutions with an established jewelry tradition have accelerated their interest in this area. A leader in this trend is The Metropolitan Museum of Art which recently opened a new gallery, the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Galleries for 19th-Century European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. There its collection of 19th-century European jewelry is installed. In the past, the Met has included jewelry from historical periods such as Egyptian, Greek and Byzantine in permanent collections and published books on topics such as Islamic jewelry. As with all objects in the museum’s collection, jewelry is accessioned only if it is an art form, says Curator Clare Le Corbeiller.
The Walters Art Gallery was established by Henry Walters, whose eclectic taste in jewelry ranged from 3000 BC to the first decade of the 20th century. Now the gallery ambitiously continues its founder’s tradition. It has held several exhibitions of jewelry, most notably “Gold of Greece: Jewelry and Ornaments from the Benaki Museum” and “Objects of Adornment: Five Thousand Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery,” which traveled to 10 venues from 1984 to 1987.
Since a new gallery devoted to the jeweled arts opened in 1988, the Walters has received steady donations, especially of American jewelry. Significant examples include a bangle bracelet with an eagle and the Confederate flag, believed to have been produced in New Orleans at the outbreak of the Civil War, and a Tiffany & Co. necklace designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany that complements other turn-of-the-century items in the permanent collection.
Cooper-Hewitt, the Smithsonian Institution’ s National Museum of Design, has always accepted gifts of jewelry.
Its collection ranges from pieces by ancient Egyptians to those by contemporary artist-jewelers, with a special emphasis on costume jewelry. The museum recently accessioned an Italian micro-mosaic parure with views of
St. Peter’s Square, the Pantheon and the Coliseum. This parure is typical of the mid-19th century souvenir jewelry visitors would purchase on a trip abroad.
Among institutions that recently have begun to focus on collecting jewelry are the Toledo and Newark museums. The Toledo Museum of Art just purchased a brooch by English designer George Hunt, which it exhibits next to an Alexander Fisher silver and enamel box and a C.R. Ashbee silver bowl and spoon set with chrysoprase. Although it is the first piece the museum has acquired outside its ancient and Renaissance jewelry collection, Curator Roger Berkowitz
intends to continue adding jewelry that will build on strengths in established collecting areas.
The Newark Museum, which takes pride in collecting New Jersey fine and decorative arts, has begun to acquire jewelry by Newark makers. The recently accessioned enameled angel brooch by Krementz & Co. and dragonfly veil pin by A.J. Hedges are just the beginnings of what Curator Ulysses Dietz hopes will be a significant collection. The Newark Museum held several jewelry exhibitions in its early years and Dietz would like to resume this activity.
The American Museum of Natural History in New York, noted for its collection of gemstones, has accessioned 19 pieces of jewelry. Dr. George Harlow, curator of gems and minerals, says the museum would like to reorganize the existing jewelry and diamond cases within the next fiscal year to include this new collection and other pieces in the museum’s holdings. Exhibits will be arranged by period and style, from the earliest example a Shang-yin period jade ornament to an Art Deco aquamarine set.
If you are tired of storing that Lalique necklace in your vault and want to find it a “happy home,” many museums would gladly accept your gift. The only proviso: it must be artistically significant. The serious collecting of jewelry by museums in this country has finally come of age. The new interest in accessioning and exhibiting jewelry will not only give the public a look at these marvelous treasures, but also provide scholars with material for years to come. |
