Pendant thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Pendant

1986 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In the 20th century artists began to make works of art with ‘found objects’. Jewellers followed this tradition, or even took it a step further, by recycling materials to make entirely new creations. With today’s consciousness of global warming and the need to use sustainable materials the jeweller of the future will undoubtedly engage more with recyclables.

In the 1980s Schmölzer made a series of jewellery using cogwheels, production parts and varying mechanisms from watches, as here in this pendant. The watch parts were put together with great thought and intent before creating a face or metaphor. His designs were not led by ideas, it was the quality of the metals that were inspirational.

Sepp Schmölzer was trained as a goldsmith in Feldkirch (Kärnten) and after the Second World War studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, in Vienna. He was first interested in graphic design and photography before working as a goldsmith. In the Sixties he became known for his gold jewellery with molten surfaces which formed sculptural effects, landscape associations and unconventional stone settings.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Gilded and silvered metal with watch parts
Brief description
Pendant, designed and made by Sepp Schmolzer, Austria 1986. Gilded and silvered metal with watch parts
Dimensions
  • Depth: 0.8cm
  • Diameter: 4.7cm
Credit line
Given by the artist
Subject depicted
Summary
In the 20th century artists began to make works of art with ‘found objects’. Jewellers followed this tradition, or even took it a step further, by recycling materials to make entirely new creations. With today’s consciousness of global warming and the need to use sustainable materials the jeweller of the future will undoubtedly engage more with recyclables.

In the 1980s Schmölzer made a series of jewellery using cogwheels, production parts and varying mechanisms from watches, as here in this pendant. The watch parts were put together with great thought and intent before creating a face or metaphor. His designs were not led by ideas, it was the quality of the metals that were inspirational.

Sepp Schmölzer was trained as a goldsmith in Feldkirch (Kärnten) and after the Second World War studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, in Vienna. He was first interested in graphic design and photography before working as a goldsmith. In the Sixties he became known for his gold jewellery with molten surfaces which formed sculptural effects, landscape associations and unconventional stone settings.
Bibliographic references
  • schmölzer, aurum - auri - auro Sepp Schmölzer, Klagenfurt 1992
  • Sepp Schmölzer 1986, Schmuckzeichen. Schmuck aus Fertigteilen und Fundstücken, Klagenfurt
  • Sepp Schmölzer, Schmuck + Objekte. Schmuck und Objekte aus Such- und Fundstücken, Klagenfurt 1990
Collection
Accession number
M.5-1987

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Record createdFebruary 15, 2008
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