Unique Art Jewelry Inspired by The Met
Our Viennese Spiral Jewelry breathes new life into a whimsical motif (ca. 1928) by the visionary artist and designer Joseph Urban (American, b. Austria, 1872–1933).
Urban was a celebrated designer of theater and opera sets as well as furniture and textiles, such as the silk piece that inspired our adornments. Our 18K gold electroplated earrings and necklace unfurl to reveal cast-glass stones, recalling the spiral motif from Urban’s extensive Franko Prints series of textile samples in The Met’s Modern and Contemporary Art collection.
While each of the patterns are notably unique from one another, they bear the aesthetic influence of Urban’s native Vienna—particularly his Viennese contemporary Gustav Klimt (Austrian, 1862–1918) and the renowned design collective known as the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops), which sought to elevate everyday household objects through thoughtful, high-quality artisanship.
Exemplifying Urban’s hand in promoting Viennese modernism in the United States is a book in The Met collection titled Joseph Urban Announces the arrival of new Artcraft work from the Artists of Vienna Modern Interiors (ca. 1922–23).
This brief bifolio advertises Viennese fabrics, tableware, glassware, light fixtures, and other decorative objects as “unusual gifts” to shop at Urban’s midtown Manhattan studio and showroom, the Wiener Werkstätte of America, Inc.
Our jewelry honors the Franko Prints series as an essential part of Urban’s effort to share the aesthetic ingenuity of contemporary Viennese design with American audiences.
Art-Inspired Gifts
Shop our Viennese Spiral Jewelry in-store at The Met Fifth Avenue and online, where you’ll find more jewelry, accessories, home decor, and gifts reimagining Museum artworks and objects.
