Franco Cannilla (Italian, 1911–1985), designer, Mario Masenza (Italian, 1913–1985), maker, Bracelet, circa 1949, gold, diamonds

Audio Description

This bracelet was designed around 1949 by Italian artist Franco Cannillo, who lived from 1911-1985. It was made in Mario Masenza’s workshop, an Italian, who lived from 1913-1985.

Made of yellow gold with a polished finish, this bracelet is a round tube that encircles the wrist. Each tube is embellished with a raised band of small, faceted diamonds. Each of the tubes end in polished gold heads with eyes filled with small diamonds, a nose, and mouth. The hair of each head resembles tight curls that each have a small diamond at the center.

Label Copy

This bracelet was designed around 1949 by Italian artist Franco Cannillo, who lived from 1911-1985. It was made in Mario Masenza’s workshop, an Italian, who lived from 1913-1985.

Like many of his peers, Franco Cannilla was invited by Mario Masenza to design jewelry for his shop in the Palazzo Fiano in Rome. No strangers to goldsmithing, the technical virtuosity of Italian jewelers dates to the ancient Etruscans. In the Renaissance era, painters and sculptors alike worked with precious metals as part of their artistic training.

An accomplished painter and sculptor, Cannilla was internationally recognized for his jewelry, and it proved to be a more intimate expression of his artistic practice. He imagined these pieces as miniature sculptures—a sentiment echoed by many 1960s and ‘70s jewelers. Cannilla produced a variety of double-headed bracelets—some with cabochon stones standing in for the hair, others with longer locks sprinkled with brilliants.  Here, tight curls wind around small, faceted diamonds and pavé or close-set diamonds, fill the eyes.

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