the art of adornment

A Full Blood Omaha Woman, North America

from the New York Public Library Digital Gallery.

A Negress of Bahia, Brazil

from the New York Public Library Digital Gallery.

Mulher de Maia, Portugal

by Joshua Biel

early XX century

International Art Collection UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER Papari woman, Darjeeling 1880s albumen silver photograph image 26.9 h x 20.8 w cm Accn No: NGA 2007.81.151 from the National Gallery of Australia.

I have started collecting images of portraits (mostly women ) with adornments. It is so interesting to see the differences but even more fascinating comparing the similarities in these portraits. And most of all, the beauty of them. At this point I am collecting mostly older portraits and would eventually like to expand to more modern times.

My interest in these comes from on the one hand the part of me that loves ethnology and anthropology and the other more practical part that comes from working in a small family business that follows the process of the making of an adornment to the retail sale of the art piece.

I had an aunt in Boston that sold Navajo art pieces that she bought directly from artists. I imagine her buying from Indians such as Mamie Deschille. Exquisite pieces made with turquoise, silver and onyx. I have begun reading about adornment, mainly about the filigree process in Portugal. In his ethnography collection Rocha Peixoto speaks a bit about the history of adornment and the use of precious metals. He uses intriguing words like seduction, power, luxury and worship that are associated with this art of adornment. I will talk more about this in later posts.

Mais: Welcome/ Bemvindo á Teresa Perdigão e o seu recente e enriquecidor blog a coisas são como são. Definitivamente faz parte do meu roteiro diário de blogues.

Muito obrigada à Micheliny Verunchsk pela a minha inclusão no seu artigo sobre a migração num mundo com blogues. Podem ler o artigo aqui. Foi escrito para a revista online da Itaú Cultural, a Continuum.