"Choker #70"
Hu uses traditional textile techniques of weaving, twining, wrapping, and braiding to transform gold and silver wire into extraordinary body adornment. Her fingers are her tools, and the inspiration for her patterns comes from the classical Greek, Etruscan, and Celtic styles. To enhance these associations, high-karat gold, with its deep yellow color, is her metal of choice. Choker #70 was made to celebrate the soprano Elizabeth Rethberg's (1894–1976) feature role in Verdi's opera Aida, set in ancient Egypt.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Choker #70"
- Designer: Mary Lee Hu (American, born Lakewood, Ohio, 1943)
- Date: 1985
- Medium: 18K gold, 22K gold
- Dimensions: 8 7/16 × 10 5/8 × 1 9/16 in., 0.7 lb. (21.5 × 27 × 4 cm, 0.3 kg)
- Classification: Jewelry
- Credit Line: Gift of Donna Schneier, 2007
- Object Number: 2007.384.22
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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