Ring
As a young man Desprès worked for an aircraft manufacturer and was himself a pilot. As he was fascinated by machinery, it is not surprising that when he turned to jewelry-making he would adopt a somewhat mechanical aesthetic, preferring all-metal designs that had a machine-made look even though he made them by hand in his own studio. Although his rather severe, abstract, geometric shapes seem to suggest up-to-the minute technology, they are in fact more concerned with the age-old skill of handcraftsmanship.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ring
- Designer: Jean Despres (French, 1889–1980)
- Date: ca. 1925
- Medium: Silver
- Dimensions: 1 x 1 1/8 in. (2.5 x 2.9 cm)
- Classification: Jewelry
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Stewart Johnson, 2004
- Object Number: 2004.530.5
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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Jean Despres
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