Chiostri dell’Umanitaria
Milan, April 2002
When our daughter Costanza was born – almost 4 years ago – my husband and I decided to buy her a little jewel. We were looking for a traditional gift; nonetheless we also wanted something special for her, some sort of unique piece. That is why we turned to Claudia Ottaviani and Lorenzo Gennari, whose works I became acquainted with at the exhibition Ambiente, in Frankfurt, almost 10 years ago, falling in love with them.
Going back to Costanza’s present, Claudia realized for her a brooch (one of our most traditional gifts for baby showers – in Italy – is a golden brooch with coral beads, being coral supposed to bring good luck). A brooch made of white gold with just a turquoise bead. Traditional and modern. Baby-like as well, as the turquoise bead is a bit too big for the essential design of the brooch, giving to the jewel a halo of childhood – that time of life when proportion is an empty word, and in a drawing a blue round-shaped object can rapidly shift from a balloon to a child’s face.
When I turned 40 I asked for a ring by Claudia Ottaviani. A ring just like the one above in the picture, but with a yellow stone instead. Actually the rings were two because one day, upon arriving home from work, 2 years ago, I was told by Costanza’s baby-sitter that our sweetheart had picked my ring from the table and thrown it out of the balcony. The stone – guess what? – had broken. So we got a second one (I’ve learned my lesson now and stopped leaving things randomly around the apartment).
When my husband’s sister also turned 40 (hope she doesn’t get mad at me for revealing her age!), we bought her one of the famous golden “barrette” (here in the picture) designed by Claudia Ottaviani and Lorenzo Gennari.
Claudia will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her activity on Dec. 15th and Dec. 16th, in her workshop, in via Passeri 48 (Pesaro), welcoming guests from 6 to 8 pm offering them chocolate and vin brûlé.
By the way, remember my post on Saint Lucy’s Day? Same street as Saint Lucy ‘s church (Santa Lucia), in Pesaro, San Giovanni Public Library (former convent) and the beautiful Saint John’s church (San Giovanni).
Revealing social and ritual functions, which go way beyond the simple fact of being an ‘accessory’, the jewel is an important object, as it is able to combine aesthetic and ornamental values together with magical and mystical ones, besides unveiling emotional meanings (Claudia Ottaviani and Lorenzo Gennari).
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