Eleanor Moty (American, b. 1945) "Portal" Pendant, USA, 1989

Sterling silver, 22k vermeil, 18k gold, rutilated quartz, sapphire
Signed to reverse: "Moty '89 ©, Sterling, 22k, 18k"

H: 2 1/2, W: 2 1/8, D: 1/4 in. (pendant); L: 20 in. (chain)

Literature

Susan Cummins et al., In Flux: American Jewelry and the Counterculture, Arnoldsche, Stuttgart, 2020, pp. 27, 43, 72
Kelly H. L'Ecuyer, Jewelry by Artists: In the Studio, 1940-2000, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, 2010, pp. 135-136

Artist Biography

Born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois in 1945, metalsmith and jewelry artist Eleanor Moty received her B.F.A. from the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1968. She earned her M.F.A. in 1971 from Tyler School of Art where she studied with Stanley Lechtzin and Albert Paley and was influenced by the work of jewelry designer Miye Matsukata. A pioneer and authority on the use of electroplating and photo-etching in jewelry making, Moty became renowned for her use of innovative and industrial techniques in the 1960s and 1970s; her mature work is recognized for its use of natural crystals and stones set within geographically-inspired designs that showcase the “unique beauty of the minerals.” The recipient of many awards and accolades, Moty taught for two years at the Moore College of Art and then for twenty-eight years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work is included in the permanent collections of museums worldwide, including Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Houston Museum of Fine Arts; The Philadelphia Museum of Art; and The Design Museum, Munich. A retrospective of Moty’s work bearing the same name as her recently published monograph, Quiet Elegance: The Jewelry of Eleanor Moty, is currently on view at the Racine Art Museum until January 28, 2023.

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist

Property from the Robert L. Pfannebecker Collection