Post-Modern Gold Ionic Capital Rings Stanley Tigerman

About the Item

Ionic Capital Rings by Stanley Tigerman United States and Italy, 1986-1987 Complete width 46 mm., diameter of hoops 21 mm. and 22 mm., bezel when worn together 19 x 46 mm. Weight 22 gr., US sizes 7 and 8.5, UK sizes O and Q ¾ The two gold rings that make up this double finger ring vary slightly in size. Each has a circular band with D-section, attached on one point to the bezel, half an Ionic capital molded in relief. When worn on adjacent fingers, the capital is complete. Stamped inside the hoop of one ring is the inscription “S. TIGERMAN 03 CM” and the Italian warranty mark “750” for eighteen-carat gold. The other is stamped “03,” repeating the edition number. This ring is number three of a limited edition of nine which were produced by Cleto Munari (CM) in Milan. The so-called double ring, that is, a ring worn over two fingers, was popular in late Roman society, but later fell out of use. It is not surprising to see the double finger ring rediscovered by modern and contemporary jewelers. In this interesting variant there are actually two rings that, when worn on two adjacent fingers, give the illusion of being a continuous double ring. Although architectural features adorned rings of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and earlier, the idea of an architectural detail becoming the main motif of a bezel is novel. When he was designing the Ionic capital rings for Cleto Munari, the idea that animated Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman (born 1930) was the use of the classical language of architecture at a distance from its function. Writing of these rings (and his keystone bracelets), Tigerman observed, “columns are not obligated to support anything; entablatures bear on more than the wearer’s breastbone; and keystones no longer take the weight of walls. The original ennobling intention of embellishment still exists, as it is intrinsic to these objects, while the functional nature of the architectural elements has become metaphorical.” Known for his distinguished career of over fifty years as an architect, with buildings in North America, Western Europe, and Asia, Stanley Tigerman takes an often unconventional approach to his eclectic and diverse modernist designs, combining philosophical, theological, and architectural thought. Tigerman has expressed his admiration for the architecture of Rome, praising the city’s heritage, with its superlative density of architectural monuments. His many visits to Rome likely inspired the classical arches and columns with Doric or Ionic capitals which feature in many of his buildings. A concierge desk in Pensacola Place Apartment Complex in Chicago (1978-1981), for example, takes the form of a colossal Ionic capital. His designs for reclining chairs for the Barcalounger Company have headrests taking the shape of Ionic and Corinthian columns. Tigerman designed this double ring at the request of Cleto Munari, who is well-known for his collections of Murano glass pens for Nobel Prize winning writers, watches, and jewelry, all produced in his workshop founded in 1985. More recently, he has included rugs and furniture in his repertoire. These rings are the fruit of one of many instances in which Munari has commissioned some of the best and most famous international artists, architects, designers, and writers to create designs for these unique objects. Literature: Underhill 1989, p. 255; Radice 1987, p. 95; Vezzosi 1990, p. 114 and front cover illustration.

Creator:

Stanley Tigerman

Ring Size:

7 US, Not Resizable

Metal:

Gold,18k Gold

Weight:

22 g

Style:

Contemporary

Period:

1980-1989