Bulgari presents ’Serpentiform: Snake Through Art, Jewellery and Design’
![Serpentiform: Snake Through Art, Jewellery and Design](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nvww5YWdL6gZ3Qb8Lfgu9K-415-80.jpg)
Bulgari’s Serpenti first slithered onto the scene in the late 1940s, its coiling bracelet watches distinctively setting the Roman maison apart from the dominant Parisian fashions of the time. Vice chairman Nicola Bulgari has called the motif a ‘constant source of creative nourishment’, while collectors too seem ever-seduced: cue the two bejewelled 1960s designs that sold at Christie’s Geneva last November for over CHF700,000, nearly twice their estimates.
The snake is now the subject of an exhibition being staged by Bulgari in the splendid, neoclassical surrounds of the Museum of Rome, Palazzo Braschi. Dramatic staircases and 18th century plasterwork form a fitting backdrop for Serpentiform: Snake Through Art, Jewellery and Design that spans ancient to modern and celebrates the time-honoured theme through a host of artistic mediums.
Millennia-old gems on loan from the Archaeological Museum of Naples include gold Pompeii bracelets that are simplistic yet powerfully talismanic. But it's the contemporary works – art, sculpture, photography, even interiors pieces – that offer the most eclectic mix, and highlight what curator Lucia Bosaini calls ‘a creative and multifaceted journey into the imagination’ with a ‘playful take’.
Here one finds Niki de Saint Phalle’s joyous Pouf Serpent Jaune, the vibrant sculpture-cum-design objet originally a riff off tarot cards and Saint Phalle’s fascination with ancient mythology and symbols of femininity. Joana Vasconcelos is too drawn to womanhood and identity, as seen in her subdued, crochet-covered ceramic Estefania 2014. Alexander Calder’s Mois Mondial du Coeur lithograph, with its almost naïve-art expression of love, is a dynamic echo for the jeweller – while Keith Haring’s fun and frivolous USA 19-82 and Fortunato Depero’s coolly graphic Quattro further lighten up the mood. Home décor pieces glide in too, such as the aptly sea-green Fornasetti rug. A book encapsulating the ophidian interpretations of 32 famed artists, from the 19th century to today, complements the show.
There is also vintage fashion to savour, including Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra regalia and costumes worn in Puccini and Verdi operas. But the real showstoppers are the archival Bulgari Serpenti creations from the last 50 years – among them a daring 1972 gold Tubogas bracelet-watch and an elegant emerald and diamond design. The latter is from 1969 but looks as timeless and chic as ever.
Serpentiform: Snake Through Art, Jewellery and Design spans ancient to modern and celebrates the time-honoured theme through a host of artistic mediums. Pictured: Pantelmina #3, by Joana Vasconcelos, 2004.
Bulgari’s Serpenti first slithered onto the scene in the late 1940s, its coiling bracelet watches distinctively setting the Roman maison apart from the dominant Parisian fashions of the time. Pictured right: Amiamo il Serpente by Fornasetti. Pictured left: 1968 Bulgari Serpenti bracelet in gold with jade, rubies and diamonds.
Joana Vasconcelos is too drawn to womanhood and identity, as seen in her subdued, crochet-covered ceramic Estefania, 2014 (pictured).
Millennia-old gems on loan from the Archaeological Museum of Naples include gold Pompeii bracelets that are simplistic yet powerfully talismanic
But it’s the contemporary works – art, sculpture, photography, even interiors pieces – that offer the most eclectic mix. Pictured: the daring 1972 gold Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas bracelet watch in gold and burnished steel
Collectors seem to be charmed by the snake theme, as seen in the two bejewelled 1960s designs that sold at Christie’s Geneva last November for over CHF700,000, nearly twice their estimates.
The real showstoppers are the archival Bulgari Serpenti creations from the last 50 years
Curator Lucia Bosaini calls the exhibition ‘a creative and multifaceted journey into the imagination’ with a ‘playful take’. Pictured: USA 19-82
INFORMATION
Serpentiform: Snake Through Art, Jewellery and Design runs from 10 March until 10 April, 2016. For more information, visit the website
ADDRESS
Museum of Rome
Piazza di S. Pantaleo, 10, Roma, Italy
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Take off: Mathieu Lehanneur's Olympic Cauldron rises into the Parisian night sky
The Paris 2024 Olympics’ opening ceremony was closed with a soaring cauldron spectacle that will go down in history
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Phaidon’s new Graphic Classics is a lavish greatest hits of graphic design
Graphic Classics is a compendium of seven centuries of visual culture, from the everyday and ephemeral to visionary works that reshaped our world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Birley Chocolate hits the sweet ’n’ chic spot in London’s Chelsea
The new Birley Chocolate shop, a sibling to Birley Bakery, is a confection of colour as delicious as its finely crafted goods
By Melina Keays Published
-
All smiles: How a grillz jewellery making class in London became an international hit
What started as a passion project quickly exploded in popularity. We get the story behind the grillz-making workshop at Cockpit London
By Elisa Anniss Published
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to know
These independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Buccellati announces a major retrospective in Venice
The upcoming Buccellati exhibition in Venice, ‘The Prince of Goldsmiths, Rediscovering the Classics’, is produced by Balich Wonder Studio and curated by Alba Cappellieri
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Jewellery designers share their most precious personal pieces
A host of jewellers give us a peek at the jewellery which brings them joy and solace
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a moment
We've been deep-diving into boutiques around the world to find the very best calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form. It seems jewellers have been busy rethinking pearls, with contemporary (and often affordable) results
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Eternity rings for the modern couple
Eternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Alternative engagement rings with an edge
As the sales of engagement rings sky-rocket during lockdown, enjoy our off-kilter curation of edgy and unconventional engagement rings
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Hair jewellery to covet and collect
Today’s hair jewellery is both practical and pretty. We're pinning our hopes on these simple and elegant accessories
By Hannah Silver Last updated