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A GOLD PIN BROOCH, BY LALAOUNIS A GOLD TORQUE NECKLACE, BY LALAOUNIS

In the classical Greek tradition of a stylised torc with lion’s head Of brushed gold finish, hinged to the back, with axe-shaped terminal and closed pin clasp, mounted in 18K gold, signed Lalaounis, terminals, mounted in 18K gold, with maker’s mark, retailed and marked maker’s mark, French import mark, length 8.7cm ‘Mecan’, inner diameter 11.4cm

€ 1,200 - 1,800 € 1,600 - 2,600

Greek jeweller Ilias Lalalounis was born in in 1920, the fourth generation of a family of goldsmiths and watchmakers from . After studying economics and law at the University of Athens, he joined his uncle’s jewellery firm, where, apprenticed as a goldsmith, he learned the skills that were to determine his future as a master craftsman. Prompted by a passion for history, he began studying the art of his ancestors. In the 1950’s he was inspired by Greek museum arte- facts and transformed them into jewellery by reviving age-old techniques while also introducing the use of modern technology. His creative aim was to convey the spiritual and symbolic link of an object to its historical past, the art of neglected techniques, such as granulation, filigree, hand-weaving and hand-hammering.

Lalaounis founded the Greek Jeweller’s Association and exhibited his first collection in 1957, the archeological collection, inspired by Classical, Hellenistic and Minoan-Mycenaean art, with modern jewels steeped in antiquity. In the 1960’s, after his uncle passed away, Ilias Lalaounis started his own company. His collections, consisting of 18 and 22 karat gold pieces, were inspired by the art of many different cultures and periods. His interest spanned from prehistoric to , from Persian to Byzantine, from Chinese art to the art of the Tudors. In the 70’s, Lalaounis provoked a sensation with his collection ‘BLOW UP,’ draping the human body in gold jewellery. He followed this by redefining new means of expression, inspired by spheres such as nature and science, flowers and biosymbols, the random movements of animal and plant cells, orbits and constellations

In 1986 Lalaounis became the first jeweller to be honoured with the prestigious induction to the Academie des Beaux Arts et des Lettres of .

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