Little girls are encouraged to dream that their prince may arrive with beautiful jewelry and presents. Bracelets created by a prince would be the only item that could rival such a thing. The great and the good of 20th-century Europe and America enjoyed someone very close to that desire: Jewelry made by an honest-to-god, no-kidding king.
Fulco Santostefano della Cerda, Duke of Verdura ( 1898-1978 ) created jewelry that graced the necks, ears, and limbs of the biggest names of his day &ndash, names such as Babe Paley, Diana Vreeland, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, and Clare Booth Luce.
He was the proté, gé, of Coco Chanel, the cousin of distinguished European writer and prince Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, and a friend of Cecil Beaton and Nancy Mitford. He created the jewelry worn by Katharine Hepburn in the 1940 drama The Philadelphia Story. For newspaper style shoots, he gave his masterpieces to Horst P. Horst.
In 1941, he and Salvador Dali worked together to create a collection of Surreal apparel that was displayed at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York and later at the Museum of Modern Art and other well-known US museums. In his last century, Cartier wooed the king, promising &lsquo, total creative license&rsquo, and a dedicated screen window on Fifth Avenue, he said no.
And in 1975, Verdura received a commission for a magic rose to honor the composer of Richard Strauss ‘ librettist’s Der Rosenkavalier for use in later productions of that play.
Verdura, known as Fulco to his companions, did not seek to a career as a designer. He did not anticipate doing anything that resembled real labor, as most men of his time did when they were born or were destined to gain them after their father passed away. Nobility who worked for money were also thought of by their peers as being vulgar and yet disgraceful in his day.
This is not to suggest Verdura was empty, or a layabout. During World War I, the girl joined the Roman army as a second lieutenant, fought at Caporetto, and was discharged after suffering a head injury. But Verdura&rsquo, s work, in fact, was to be polite and lovely, which he achieved in part through his talents for drawing, telling stories, and deploying a formidable intellect that won him the nickname &lsquo, Le Petit Larousse roulant&rsquo,, which roughly translates from European as &lsquo, the walking dictionary&rsquo,.
It was these social gifts, as well as those that the high-born are expected to learn, paired with a wealth of friends and contacts that made up for his lack of actual prosperity, which contributed to his success as a designer, just as much as the vocational education he received from Chanel.
Verdura&rsquo, s most significant guests were the American Broadway composer-songwriter Cole Porter and his wife Linda, who he met when the pair stopped in Palermo in 1919 while on their wedding. In the mid-1920s, Linda encouraged Verdura to brain to Paris, and friends of hers offered to take him in.
Once there, Verdura&rsquo, s cousin, Baron Ugo Oddo, arranged for him to join Chanel, who had built up a roster of elastic German nobility by tempting them with regular paychecks. Chanel recognized the young man&rsquo, s promises, and by 1934, Verdura had earned a job title to go with his inherited ones: the name of Chanel&rsquo, s main apparel designer.
The Maltese mix cuff is one of his most cherished and persistent designs, which is also one of his earliest designs. &ldquo, Verdura&rsquo, s Maltese cross collars are classic, &rdquo, said Gina D&rsquo, Onofrio, producer of fine jewelry at Heritage Auctions in Dallas. &ldquo, The Maltese cross theme speaks to the imagery of Verdura&rsquo, s Italian youth. His second piece, designed for Chanel, became her favorite items, and she was rarely photographed without them. Since then, modifications in hard marble and gold have been produced, and Verdura choices are incomplete without them. &rdquo, Heritage offered an instance in December 2018 comprised of gold, black teeth, cultured pearls, blue topaz, peridot, and full-cut pearls that sold for$ 22, 000 plus the buyer&rsquo, s premium.
Cole Porter’s cuff links, which were originally created as a pair of cuff links inspired by Porter’s song Night and Day, were a second glory. The other part depicted glittering actors in a midnight blue sky, while the other part resembled the Earth’s surface. A pair of Verdura Night and Day pins in 18K gold, diamonds, and teeth realized$ 3, 000 plus the buyer&rsquo, s advanced in January 2021 at Hampton Estate Auction. Also, in April 2024, Julien&rsquo, s sold the Night and Day dress set belonging to famed singer Tony Bennett ( 1926-2023 ), consisting of a pair of cuff links and four shirt studs still in their fitted Verdura case, for$ 15, 000 plus the buyer&rsquo, s premium against an estimate of$ 3, 000-$ 5, 000.
Verdura&rsquo, s initial great fee for Porter was a cigar case to indicate the 1936 Broadway debut of his music Red, Hot and Blue. Despite claiming that the duke&rsquo, s name didn&rsquo, t seemed to rhyme with anyone, Porter finally managed the feat in Let&rsquo, s Face It!, a 1941 musical that included the song Planting, which featured the song:
Liz Whitney has, on her bucket of dung, a
Clip designed by the Duke of Verdura.
Farming is but wonderful, they all say.
Verdura, ever the envoy, does not seem to have said anything in common about Porter&rsquo, s dirty small shout-out. Despite being a nationalist to the bone, the Sicilian managed to maintain adequate self-control to successfully represent the Duchess of Windsor as a consumer. Once more, the social skills he learned as a child helped him achieve his professional aspirations as a mature person.
He even remained curious and interested in the world, joyfully soaking up fresh influences. A display of Greek art that he saw in 1931 evidently made a lasting impact, Exhibit A being a written pair of 18K gold Verdura dangling earrings boasting fancy-cut amethysts and circular-cut red tourmalines. Offered at Rago Arts and Auction Center in June 2023, the couple secured$ 3, 000 plus the buyer&rsquo, s subscription.
&lsquo, Boasting&rsquo, is a vital word here. Verdura did not create pieces of art that resembled real flowers, even those that were worn by shrinking violet. &ldquo, Verdura&rsquo, s models appeal to a demographic that loves innovative and creative design, &rdquo, D&rsquo, Onofrio said. &ldquo, His designs are artistic and strong, mostly in discolored gold set with sumptuous color. With that, they appeal to a comfortable person that prefers to make a statement. &rdquo,
In May 2021, Heritage published a particularly strong Verdura work. The king decorated the brightly orange lion&rsquo, s hand shell basic ( which he might have harvested himself, as he was known to accumulate shells from the shores of Fire Island and Newport, Rhode Island ) with 18K gold, diamonds, and sapphires. It achieved$ 45, 000 plus the buyer&rsquo, s premium against an estimate of$ 20, 000-$ 30, 000.
&ldquo, The size of the necklace, encrusted with sapphires, combined with the double pun of &lsquo, lion&rsquo, s paw&rsquo, and shell made this item especially interesting, &rdquo, D&rsquo, Onofrio said. Each seashell brooch was distinctive, but Paulette Goddard was spotted by Horst wearing a comparable Lion&rsquo ;s paw brooch in 1941, which would have undoubtedly raised the profile of this piece. &rdquo,
Verdura created his designs for the illustrious stars of his day, but they have outlived the reputation of his clients, who have since found favor with fresh enthusiasts. &ldquo, Styles come and go, but Verdura is more about classic styles, &rdquo, said April Matteini, vice president and associate director of Freeman&rsquo, s Hindman&rsquo, s jewelry and watches office, adding, &ldquo, the pieces that we sell with great success are yellow metal, content designs, which are perfect for day and day to day. &rdquo,
Verdura&rsquo, s firm has outlasted him as well, surviving under the leadership of the Landrigan family, which has released faithful reproductions and reimaginings of the duke&rsquo, s models. Even if an adult piece does not have a provenance, vintage Verdura absolutely benefits from having been so adored by legendary people.
&ldquo, I find just the idea of the brand&rsquo, s high-profile customers is enough to enhance attractiveness, &rdquo, said Matteini. &ldquo, The consistency of pattern, with simple modifications to be clear, is part of the draw of the brand. I often estimate a piece of Verdura for purchase from an &lsquo, unpopular&rsquo, series or set that does not have &lsquo, the look&rsquo,. &rdquo,
The charm that it casts is strong even on those who are too young to be aware or maintenance who first wore a piece of antique Verdura jewelry. Its effective magic enables sons to overcome any obstacles that might prevent them from putting on clothing that their mothers and grandmothers value. The joyful contrast of colour that frequently appears in the pieces is immortal. I usually see many generations of women in the same household collecting Verdura, &rdquo, said Matteini. &ldquo, New enthusiasts are drawn to the label and fall in love with the styles and durability. &rdquo,