Albert Paley
"Double Fibula" Brooch

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Artist Albert Paley American, 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

Not on view

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Department

Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Special Collections

Helen Williams Drutt Collection of Contemporary Studio Jewelry

Object Type

JEWELRY & ADORNMENT

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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