From Booklist
Every twentieth-century society name, from Coco Chanel to Babe Paley, is mentioned at least once in this meticulous biography of Sicilian jeweler Fulco Santostefano della Cerda, duke of Verdura. Art historian Corbett relishes details, including long descriptions of Fulco's work and play in New York, Paris, Venice, and Hollywood. Augmenting the prose are exquisite color photographs of his creations, reproductions of his drawings and miniature paintings, and illustrations of his art as shown in fashion magazines and by famous photographers. Yet this is not simply a litany of a life; Corbett spotlights Fulco's friendships, family, and personality without commentary or judgment. Plus, she factualizes a life and a name that previously were only a legend and a coveted signature. A wonderful evocation of long-gone elegance and art. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
A master of metamorphosis, Sicilian duke-turned-jewelry-designer Fulco di Verdura (1898-1978) studded seashells with precious gems, transformed sailor's knots into pearl-encrusted necklaces, and wrapped blazing ruby hearts with braided gold rope. Since the mid-20th century, his ultrasophisticated neo-Baroque pieces have been the status symbols of a near-secret society of European blue bloods, Hollywood royalty, and Park Avenue patricians. Verdura's by-appointment-only patrons included Wallis Simpson, Marlene Dietrich, and Diana Vreeland, who considered his Maltese Cross cuffs an essential part of her daily uniform. In this lavish book, featuring fresh color photographs as well as vintage images, Patricia Corbett presents a deft evaluation of Verdura's work and a glimpse inside his impossibly glamorous world.
From the Publisher
"America's Crown Jeweler."-The New York Times
Verdura: The Life and Work of a Master Jeweler FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Verdura: The Life and Work of a Master Jeweler is a romantic tale that reads like a who's who of the early and mid-20th century. Fulco de Santostefano della Cerda, born in Sicily in 1892, was much more than a jeweler. He was a pleasure-loving aristocrat who became Duke of Verdura in 1922 and belonged to the jet-set society for whom he created his unique jewelry. Although he died in 1978, a whole new generation is discovering Verdura, and the house is "hot" again. Many Verdura designs are well known and recognizable at first glance: Chanel's Maltese cross cuffs, exotic animal pins, and jewel-encrusted shell compacts, in stunning combinations of precious and semiprecious stones. The sea was one of the most frequently recurring themes in Verdura's work.
Composer Cole Porter and his wife, Linda, discovered Verdura while honeymooning in Palermo, Sicily. Up to that point, Verdura had been living a life of leisure, even though his family's fortune was much diminished. The Porters recommended him to Coco Chanel, who discovered his talent when she asked him to make some jewelry to go with the simple clothes she designed. Verdura next migrated to America, where he thrived on the West Coast, among Hollywood's glitterati, but soon realized that "movie people like to wear things from N.Y." He left Hollywood behind and settled in New York, where he established his Fifth Avenue salon with Cole Porter's help. Verdura continued to operate the establishment until his death.
This magnificent coffee-table book is not only for fine jewelry fans. History buffs will also enjoy the story of one of the leading Renaissance men of the 20th century. Vivian Kelly
FROM THE PUBLISHER
"The creations of Fulco di Verdura stand out from the designs of other twentieth-century jewelers for their glorious exuberance and refined glamour. Born into the Sicilian nobility in 1898, Verdura showed a precocious talent for drawing and an insatiable curiosity about the natural world as well as art. He left his ancestral home in Palermo in the mid-1920s, moving to Paris where he hoped to be a painter; but his true vocation was revealed once he began designing striking jewelry for the discriminating customers of Chanel." "Patricia Corbett documents Verdura's career, which took him from Paris to Los Angeles and eventually New York, where he was patronized by the rich and famous, who found his sophisticated and flamboyant neo-Baroque style perfectly complemented their tastes. Cole Porter and his wife Linda, Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, among others, were his devoted admirers, along with many of Society's movers and shakers, including Daisy Fellowes, the Duchess of Windsor, Diana Vreeland and Mona Bismarck." The author has been given access to all of Verdura's archives and has interviewed many of his surviving patrons. His jewelry, from Hokusai-inspired diamond brooches to natural, found objects such as scallop shells studded with precious stones, is discussed and evaluated. Time and again, Verdura is revealed as a talented and innovative jeweler. Colour photography of the jewelry, as well as illustrations of the celebrities who wore his pieces, convey the irresistible beauty and genius of Verdura's designs.
Art & Photography
Book Info
