Ed Wiener 1948 New York Aerodynamic Constructivist Sculptural Cuff In Solid .925 Sterling Silver
An exceptional cuff designed by Ed Wiener (1918-1991).
This very rare modernist sculptural piece is one of Wiener's first creations as a jeweler-artist, in New York city, circa 1948. This cuff bracelet is composed of two simple aerodynamic pieces with sinuous curved shapes wrapped by an infinite wire, which in turn recreates a sculpture with constructivism patterns.
It was crafted in solid .925/.999 of polished and patinated sterling silver.
Ed Wiener (1918-1991), began his career in the artist's circles of the post-Bauhaus. Was very active at Provincetown and the Greenwich village in New York. Work immediately in the early days of the abstract expressionist movement of the post-war period, late 1940's. His most famous customers was the sculptor Louise Nevelson and Martha Graham, the dancer. He worked extensively in sterling silver until the beginning of the 1950 when he made a lot of sculptural pieces of jewelry in gold with precious gemstones.
Has a weight of 112.7 grams and fit a wrist/arm up to 6 inches (15.5 Cm). The overall measures are 127 mm by 76.5 mm (5 x 3 inches).
Signed and stamped with the hallmarks, "ED. WIENER STERLING".
Provenance: A private collection in Milano, Italy. A private collection in Budapest, Hungary.
Collections: An exact example of this work is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston, United States.
Literature: Cover picture on Modernist Jewelry 1930-1960: The Wearable Art Movement, Marbeth Schon, Pp. 64 and Jewelry By Artists In The Studio 1940-2000, L'ecuyer, Pp. 254 illustrates similar example. There is also a full-page photo (page 12) in "Jewelry By Ed. Wiener" an exhibition held at the Fifty/50 gallery in New York Dec 1988-Jan 1989. Kelly H. L'Ecuyer and others, Jewelry By Artists In The Studio 1940-2000 Selections from the Daphne Farago Collection. MFA Publications 2010 Pp 254. for this piece illustrated, see figures.
Note: This early bracelet-model, is the heaviest (112.7 gm) of the three pieces known in existence, with this exact shape. The piece at the Boston Fine Arts Museum has 92.2 grams and the one offered at Rago-Arts, lot-153 May 26, 2021 is 94.84 grams.
Collateral: They are accompanied by a presentation jewelry box.
Condition: The overall condition of this bracelet is excellent. Beside the little normal wear, there is no damage to the silver. This piece has been carefully inspected to guarantee the condition and authenticity. It is in perfect vintage/original condition with the aged patina intact, is not polished. An amazing collector's piece.
INVENTORY REF: B0000MRIA/.1112
