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As an artisan, designer, and educator, John Prip played a pivotal role in modern silversmithing in the United States in the mid-20th century. A fourth-generation metalsmith, Prip was born in New York and raised in Denmark, where he began an apprenticeship at the age of fifteen. In 1948, Prip brought his skills and Scandinavian style to the U.S. to teach at the School for American Craftsmen, then at Alfred University in western New York. His avant-garde work was quickly recognized for melding the formal, technical tradition of Danish design with the American desire for innovation. He worked as a designer for Reed and Barton and taught at both the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Rhode Island School of Design. Prip constantly experimented with materials and techniques. During the 1970s, his jewelry was highly geometric and often mixed media, such as silver or gold with semi-precious stones as in this brooch.
Brooch
John Prip (American, 1922–2009)
American
about 1975
Object Place: Providence, Rhode Island
Medium/Technique
Silver, gold, Mexican opal, jasper
Dimensions
Overall: 8.3 x 8.9 x 1.6 cm (3 1/4 x 3 1/2 x 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
The Daphne Farago Collection
Accession Number2006.439
CollectionsJewelry, Contemporary Art, Americas
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Brooches
As an artisan, designer, and educator, John Prip played a pivotal role in modern silversmithing in the United States in the mid-20th century. A fourth-generation metalsmith, Prip was born in New York and raised in Denmark, where he began an apprenticeship at the age of fifteen. In 1948, Prip brought his skills and Scandinavian style to the U.S. to teach at the School for American Craftsmen, then at Alfred University in western New York. His avant-garde work was quickly recognized for melding the formal, technical tradition of Danish design with the American desire for innovation. He worked as a designer for Reed and Barton and taught at both the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Rhode Island School of Design. Prip constantly experimented with materials and techniques. During the 1970s, his jewelry was highly geometric and often mixed media, such as silver or gold with semi-precious stones as in this brooch.
DescriptionSilver circle with applied gold, red cabochon (Mexican opal), green cabochon (jasper)
ProvenanceJohn Prip; Daphne Farago, August 29, 1991 Daphne Farago; to MFA, 2006, gift of Daphne Farago.
CopyrightReproduced with permission.