Vintage Handmade Sterling Silver Bear Belt Buckle Artist Studio

Brass frame belt buckle with nicely soldered spider web embellishment. Signed Baldwin on the backside.

A wide leather belt with large sterling silver buckle crafted by Graziella Laffi (1923-2009), Lima, Peru, circa 1960-70s. The bespoken sculptural silver buckle features a biomorphic motif rooted in pre-Columbian culture. Marked: PERU, 950. The buck measures 5.75 x 5 x 2 inches and weighs about 126 grams (4.0511 troy ounces). The detachable belt consists of two parts is adjustable from approximately 33 inches to 36 inches. Graziella Laffi was born in 1923 in Florence, Italy to Gino Laffi, a silversmith and artist. Following her family tradition, Graziella enrolled in master classes after elementary school, focusing on design and painting. She next attended Escuela de Bellas Artes de Puerta Romana for three years, where Gino taught, and then to the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, where she concentrated in architecture until the start of World War II. In 1947, Graziella, then twenty-four, immigrated with her parents to Peru. Gino later created a silversmith studio and showroom called Fabrica Laffi on Avenue Mexico, where Graziella initially learned her Craft. The Pre-Columbian culture in her adopted country inspired Graziella to travel and collect, which ultimately influence her design in the silver pieces. Graziella learned the metalworking techniques of the ancient Peruvian civilizations and rejected the current technology. She mostly used hammering, rolling and creating joints as the ancients do. As an ambassador of Peruvian culture, her work promoted the indigenous Peruvian art and rekindled the interest in its ancient heritage throughout South America, the United States and Europe. She exhibited her growing collection of Peruvian artifacts...