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The eccentric Sam Kramer billed himself as the maker of “Fantastic Jewelry for People Who are Slightly Mad.” Dubbed a “Surrealist Jeweler” by The New Yorker in 1942, Kramer maintained a Greenwich Village shop and studio that was an artistic environment—as bizarrely decorated as his jewelry—and a gathering place for Village artists. For the Lovers brooch, Kramer collaborated with his wife, Carol, also a talented jeweler. The artists fabricated three metal planes, each riveted and hinged, so that the two lovers can be manipulated, moved apart, and brought back together. Bezel-set cabochon stones strategically placed on the male figure add color and dimensionality to the dynamic, erotic ornament, which has been described as "a battle of the sexes . . . a Rorschach Test in metal—deliberately ambiguous, multivocal, and provocative."
Lovers brooch
1949
Object Place: New York, New York
Medium/Technique
Silver, turquoise, and garnet; hinged and riveted construction.
Dimensions
Overall: 11.4 x 8.3 x 2.5 cm, 89.7 gm (4 1/2 x 3 1/4 x 1 in., 0.2 lb.)
Credit Line
The Daphne Farago Collection
Accession Number2006.288
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Brooches
The eccentric Sam Kramer billed himself as the maker of “Fantastic Jewelry for People Who are Slightly Mad.” Dubbed a “Surrealist Jeweler” by The New Yorker in 1942, Kramer maintained a Greenwich Village shop and studio that was an artistic environment—as bizarrely decorated as his jewelry—and a gathering place for Village artists. For the Lovers brooch, Kramer collaborated with his wife, Carol, also a talented jeweler. The artists fabricated three metal planes, each riveted and hinged, so that the two lovers can be manipulated, moved apart, and brought back together. Bezel-set cabochon stones strategically placed on the male figure add color and dimensionality to the dynamic, erotic ornament, which has been described as "a battle of the sexes . . . a Rorschach Test in metal—deliberately ambiguous, multivocal, and provocative."
DescriptionAbstract figures suggesting two persons. Brooch is constructed of several layers
of silver of various shapes, which are hinged and riveted together. Highlighted
by bezel-set garnet and turquoise
of silver of various shapes, which are hinged and riveted together. Highlighted
by bezel-set garnet and turquoise
Marks
Stamped "sterling ( x2), artist's mushroom mark in circle stamped on rear
Provenance1985, in the collection of Karen Sebiri. By 1988, Gansevoort Gallery; May 2, 1988 sold to Daphne Farago; 2006 to MFA, gift of Daphne Farago.
Copyright© Estate of Sam Kramer