ILIAS LALALOUNIS - a Greek gold Byzantine bull's head ring
£240
Auction: 30 November 2010 at 11:00 GMT
Description
of torque design, composed of a ropetwisted coil with stylised bull's head to one terminal, stamped indistinctly and with maker's oval mark
Dimensions
Approximate finger size H (UK)/4 (USA), 6.6g
Footnote
Ilias Lalaounis (b. 1920), was born into a family of Goldsmiths and watchmakers, joining the family business, Zolotas, in 1940. As a fourth generation jeweller, Lalaounis has earned a reputation for creating luxurious gold jewellery that offers a unique interpretation of ancient civilisation translated into a modern idiom. Lalaounis' unique aesthetic is inspired by influences as diverse as the Neolithic, Mycenaean, and Byzantine styles, while his creations are founded on a revival of ancient Greek jewellery techniques. In 1969, Ilias Lalaounis pursued an independent enterprise, and his eponymous company was founded as a separate entity. The new company produced a collection every six months, with each collection consisting of about 150 pieces in both 18 and 22K gold. Lalaounis's regular use of pure gold helped to distinguish his work, and soon branches were expanded through Europe and in cities throughout the world, including New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
In 1993, the company's workshops were moved to new, purpose-built facilities while the building was altered to house a jewellery museum. Today the Ilias Lalaounis Museum's permanent collection includes over 4000 pieces of jewellery and micro sculptures from over 50 collections designed by the museum's founder between 1940 and 2000. Although Lalaounis has received many prizes for his art, the most noteworthy honour was bestowed by the French Academy of Fine Arts in 1990; Lalaounis remains the only jeweller ever to be elected as a member of the Academy.