The Met x Ann Gish Embellished Collection
An earring from the Fertile Crescent. A small bead from Egypt’s Middle Kingdom. Etruscan coins.
Inspired by the ancient jewelry and metalwork in The Met collection of Ancient Egyptian and Greek and Roman Art, Jane Gish of Ann Gish Luxury Linens and Alicia Goodwin of Lingua Nigra collaborated to create uniquely adorned pillows. Goodwin’s brand Lingua Nigra, based in Chicago, creates handmade jewelry that she calls “sculptural design for everyday adornment.” Each design represents a thoughtful artistic dialog between the two makers informed by historical inspiration and time-honored production techniques.
Gish says “Our longstanding collaboration with The Met has allowed us to take a range of approaches to get inspired, including translating non-textile art objects into woven and printed textiles. For this new capsule, I wanted to experiment with adornments such as buttons, trim, and the like. Working with a jeweler to create these dimensional elements felt like a natural evolution of the concept. I’ve admired Alicia’s work for a long time and was so happy when she responded to my direct message about a collaboration on Instagram.”
Inspired by the ancient jewelry and metalwork in The Met collection of Ancient Egyptian and Greek and Roman Art, Jane Gish of Ann Gish Luxury Linens and Alicia Goodwin of Lingua Nigra collaborated to create uniquely adorned pillows. Goodwin’s brand Lingua Nigra, based in Chicago, creates handmade jewelry that she calls “sculptural design for everyday adornment.” Each design represents a thoughtful artistic dialog between the two makers informed by historical inspiration and time-honored production techniques.
Gish says “Our longstanding collaboration with The Met has allowed us to take a range of approaches to get inspired, including translating non-textile art objects into woven and printed textiles. For this new capsule, I wanted to experiment with adornments such as buttons, trim, and the like. Working with a jeweler to create these dimensional elements felt like a natural evolution of the concept. I’ve admired Alicia’s work for a long time and was so happy when she responded to my direct message about a collaboration on Instagram.”
Selecting four artworks Gish felt resonated most for the combination of ancient technique, organic forms, and lustrousness of the metals, she and Goodwin worked through rough designs, weights, and potential placements on textiles. Goodwin then set about sketching the designs, later carving them by hand in wax to be cast as brass accents. After casting, Goodwin etched the pieces to create an antiqued texture, affixing glass beads and cabochons to certain pieces. Gish then refined the textile designs to present the metalwork in the most sophisticated form.
“For thousands of years humans all across the globe discovered metallurgy and the magic of lost wax carving. I’m inspired by the beautiful designs of MesoAmerica and am always amazed at how similar these ancient cultures kept similar practices, even on the other side of the world, like Mesopotamia or Egypt. The techniques to create jewelry were being done before electricity and so many other modern innovations. Utilizing this same technique, so many years removed from the original art objects, lends a certain hand that is visible in the final product.” Goodwin says.
The Met x Ann Gish Embellished Collection is available on www.anngish.com/embellished and will be available for sale mid-November.
The Met x Ann Gish Embellished Collection is available on www.anngish.com/embellished and will be available for sale mid-November.
