Ring
Giampaolo BABETTO: artist
No image available
Babetto initially trained as an architect, but since the late 1960s has pursued a career as a jeweller, mostly working with gold. The gold he uses is prepared to his own alloy, which is milled into flat sheets before its surface is treated. Babetto’s design approach is marked by his use of traditional gold smithing techniques, which he combines with simple forms. Ideas are first tested in drawings, and he seeks forms that he says can become “jewels”. His use of elementary shapes such as cubes, squares, and circles are a direct reference to the classical architecture of the Italian Renaissance.
This process has resulted in elegant works that are characterised by geometric precision and clarity of form. Babetto refers to his works being empty but solid, which can be seen in this Ring where the open tube for the finger is balanced by the closed form that sits atop it like a highly machined stone.
This process has resulted in elegant works that are characterised by geometric precision and clarity of form. Babetto refers to his works being empty but solid, which can be seen in this Ring where the open tube for the finger is balanced by the closed form that sits atop it like a highly machined stone.
Title
Ring
Artist/Maker and role
Giampaolo BABETTO: artist
Date
1989
Medium
18 carat yellow gold
Measurements
2.2cm x 2.8cm x 2.8cm
Credit line
Purchased 1990
The State Art Collection, The Art Gallery of Western Australia
Accession number
1990/0305