Vintage Earl Pardon 14K and Sterling Silver Brooch Spectacular
Earl Pardon (1926-1991) is considered one of the foundational artists of the Modernist jewelry movement. Trained as painter and sculptor, he found his niche in precious metal. This brooch 2″ by 1 3/8” , in 5 panels, combines sterling, 14K gold, ebony, enamel tiles, and tourmaline . Clearly signed and numbered 614. The bottom rectangle is believed to be ebony, Pardon worked with Ebony with his pieces, but I have not had it tested. To see comprable pieces as this one, go to the Aaron Farber Gallery
Earl Pardon’s circa 1980’s brooch is an exploration of his
interest in the late 70’s and early 80’s in organic materials like wood and
bold, almost calligraphic or brush-stroke forms, like this brooch. The colorful
enamel mosaics, each one individually created and inlaid in sterling, 14K gold,
with a tourmaline accent. Pardon’s colorful jewels are a signature style
for this Modernist whose artistic investigations in precious metal, from 1953
to 1991, are museum-worthy works. One of the pioneers of the post-World War II
studio craft movement, in the early 1950s Pardon was instrumental in developing
wide interest in art jewelry. For much of his four-decade-long career, Pardon
worked simultaneously as a painter, sculptor, and jewelry maker. Enameling
provided a logical means of integrating his interests in painting and studio
jewelry.
Earl Pardon’s colorful palette is in pure form here in a
brooch from the 1980’s, a collage of kiln-fired enamel tiles in cobalt blues,
purples and aquas, with abalone, 14K gold rectangle tourmaline gems set in 14K
bezels, all on a sterling back.
Pardon’s work is now in the collections of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; the Museum of Arts and Design;
the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Purchased from Aaron Faber New York and comes with the
original leather bag.
Will ship with Insurance of sale amount