Collier met hanger c. 1908 - 1911

This necklace and pendant was made by Lodewijk Willem van (II) Kooten. It's a small piece, less than four centimetres in height. The craftsmanship here is incredible. Look at the details in the pendant, the symmetry, the flow of the gold into these leaf like shapes. See how the artist has offset the richness of the gold with the smaller, bright gems in the design. It’s beautiful. The combination of the two materials, the hardness of the gold and the sparkle of the jewels gives the piece a tension, a sense of balance between nature and artifice. Kooten worked as a jewellery designer, but you could also look at Klimt as a point of comparison. Both reveled in detail, and in the sheer beauty of material. It’s interesting to think about these different forms as part of a larger conversation. It doesn’t have to be one thing, it can be both.