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The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) will be subbing for Cupid this Valentine’s Day when it delivers “Past Is Present: Revival Jewelry,” a new exhibition filled with treasures guaranteed to make the heart flutter. The show features pieces from the museum’s vast collection, as well as important loans, notably from Cartier. It is, in my humble opinion, a must-see for the Renaissance- and bauble-loving Gucci designer Alessandro Michele.
Wondering what revival jewelry is, exactly? The simple answer is that it’s inspired by, and makes direct reference to, the often ancient and much idealized past. Unlike Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, who last year said, “I like to know my history and then forget it,” makers of revival jewelry work to preserve aspects of the days of yore in their contemporary creations. (One 1980s Bulgari necklace in the show uses ancient coins.)
Besides the craftsmanship of these pieces, what’s most compelling about their design is how, the press materials read, it “highlights the tension between progress and the desire to engage with the past, in both traditional and unexpected ways.” Sort of like the concept of making America great again? Emily Stoehrer, the Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan curator of jewelry, affirmed that ideological similarities can be drawn between the mid-19th century, when this style of jewelry was at the height of its popularity, and today.
Nationalism, for example, was a hot topic as, the curator explains, many European countries were establishing their modern borders. In Italy, as the country fought for unification, the jeweler Castellani was referencing the splendor of ancient Rome, placing his work within a historical context, and a civic one, too, reminding us, says Stoehrer, that “artists have a voice.”
So besides being a jaw-dropping and glittering display of finely crafted jewels, “Past Is Present: Revival Jewelry” also serves as a reminder, in its curator’s words, that “the wearing of jewelry, because it’s so public, can be political,” as well.
“Past Is Present: Revival Jewelry” is on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston February 14, 2017 to August 19, 2018.