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Neckring

Ettore Sottsass Italian, born Austria
Manufacturer Cleto Munari Italian

Not on view

This piece recalls the gold collars of ancient Middle Eastern jewelry, but in a starkly modern architectural form that characterizes Sottsass’s later work. When asked by Barbara Radice whether he creates jewelry as a symbol of power, eroticism, seduction, or magic, he chose both eroticism and magic. This necklace, though, seems to combine all of these qualities, with its mysterious black disks, mazelike structure, and the strong lines of the gold elements that draw the viewer in toward the body.

Ettore Sottsass (Italian (born Austria), Innsbruck 1917–2007 Milan), Gold, black onyx

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