Albert Paley
"Double Fibula" Brooch

"Double Fibula" Brooch

© Albert Paley

"Double Fibula" Brooch
"Double Fibula" Brooch
ArtistAmerican, born 1944
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • "Double Fibula" Brooch
Date1968
MediumGold, silver, bronze, pearls, moonstone, and Madagascar labradorite
DimensionsOverall: 5 3/8 × 5 3/4 × 2 1/4 in. (13.7 × 14.6 × 5.7 cm)
Credit LineHelen Williams Drutt Collection, museum purchase funded by Mr. and Mrs. John W. Mecom, Jr., by exchange
Object number2002.3999
Non exposé

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DescriptionAlbert Paley is one of the world’s foremost metalworkers, with a career spanning more than four decades. Paley made jewelry for 10 years, during which he set new standards for American jewelry with his large-scale, humanistic, and ornamental works designed to work with the body, not merely to decorate it. Paley began first casting, then chasing, gold and silver—his preferred materials. Soon he was using forging techniques, which allowed him to achieve an aesthetic best described as Abstract Lyricism, with flowing curves and otherworldly nature reminiscent of Art Nouveau (but not based on the style) and with technique linked to the spontaneous working methods of the Abstract Expressionists. For Double Fibula Brooch, Paley forged the two separate disks, each with a swinging pin, from a design based on the Celtic penannular brooch. By beveling the disks’ edges and pulling them up, he was able to achieve a three-dimensional form. He combined the disks with a central stem layered with gold scrolls, bands of alternating pearls and silver teardrops, and pulled floriform silver shapes, which reinforced the feeling of motion.

Provenance[Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia]; acquired by Helen Williams Drutt English; purchased by MFAH, 2002.
Exhibition History"Albert R. Paley Goldsmith," Shop 1, Rochester, New York, October 11–November 8, 1970.

"The Metalwork of Albert Paley," John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, April 13–June 1, 1980; Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 19–November 23, 1980.

"Modern Jewelry, 1964-1986: The Helen Williams Drutt Collection," The Château Dufresne, Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, November 15, 1984–February 3, 1985; Honolulu Academy of Arts, January 22–March 9, 1986; Cleveland Institute of Art, September 5–30, 1986; Philadelphia Museum of Art, November 2, 1986–February 1, 1987.

"Albert Paley: Sculptural Adornment," Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, November 22, 1991–March 22, 1992.

"Contemporary Jewelry: 1964-1993, Selected Works, Helen Williams Drutt Collection," Arkansas Art Center Decorative Arts Museum, Little Rock, October 8–November 21, 1993.

"Schmuck Unserer Zeir, 1964-1993, Sammlung Helen Williams Drutt, USA," Museum Bellerive, Zürich, February 10–May 1, 1994.

"A Moveable Feast: Helen Williams Drutt Collection 1964-1994," Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, November 18, 1994–January 8, 1995; Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Ostend, Belgium; June 17–September 24, 1995.

"Beyond Ornament: Contemporary Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, August 16, 2003–February 29, 2004.

"Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 30, 2007–January 27, 2008; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, March 14–July 6, 2008; Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, August 16, 2008–January 4, 2009; Tacoma Art Museum, Washington, June 27–September 13, 2009.

"Albert Paley, Craft in America: Crossroads," Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, April 25–26, 2012.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
"Paley / 68" stamped on back near clasp.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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Brooch
Albert Paley
1969
14k gold, sterling silver, and freshwater and baroque pearls
2002.4000
Brooch
Albert Paley
1971
14k gold, sterling silver, delrin, tourmaline, synthetic sapphires, and copper alloy
2002.4001
"Pagan Baby #12: The Green Scarab" Brooch
William Harper
1978
14k and 24k gold, silver, bronze, scarab shell, pearls, bone, glass, cloisonné enamel, fine gold, and fine silver
2002.3801
Brooch 46C-1
Stanley Lechtzin
1969
Silver-gilt, mica, and pearls
2002.3909
Pin
Albert Paley
1969
Silver, gold, ivory, and pearl
2011.973
Brooch
Olaf Skoogfors
1966
Gold-plated sterling silver, round pearls, and Biwa pearls
2002.4089
"Pagan Baby #4: The Serpent" Brooch
William Harper
1977
14 and 18k gold, silver, fresh and saltwater pearls, snake rattle, shell, cloisonné enamel, and copper
2002.3799
Object Table
Albert Paley
1976
Mild steel and glass
2014.280.A,.B
Brooch 64-B3
Stanley Lechtzin
1969
Silver-gilt, mica, and baroque pearls
2002.3913
"Small Landscape" Pin
William Harper
1979
14k gold, silver, jade, agate, baroque pearls, cloisonné enamel, and copper
2002.3802
"Gullit + Richardson" Brooch
Gijs Bakker
1986
Yellow gold 585, moonstone, newsprint, and PVC
2002.3599