22 karat gold leaf jewelry made exclusively for the Getty. These teardrop earrings feature details from Irises, painted in 1889 by Vincent van Gogh. Today, it is among the most beloved works in the Getty's collection. Using an intricate process, each piece of jewelry is gilded and burnished by hand, and finished to a rich patina, resulting in an exquisite work of art.
- Dimensions: 1 1/8 inches L x 3/4 inch W
- Materials: 22K gold leaf, enamel, sillimanite
- Made in the USA
- Item #: EARVGIB
A severe mental health crisis, in which he cut off his own ear, prompted Van Gogh to admit himself to the Saint-Paul Asylum at Saint Rémy in the south of France. His recuperation began with paintings of the asylum garden, Irises chief among them. The close study of nature was the foundation of Van Gogh's art, as his precise delineation of individual flowers suggests, but he also brought to that study an astonishing degree of subjective intensity. We feel this in the painting's strong colors, thickly applied paint, and powerful decorative rhythms, all of which convey the artist's sense of nature's surging vitality.
Irises
Vincent van Gogh
Dutch
Saint-Rémy, France, 1889
Oil on canvas
29 1/4 inches x 37 1/8 inches
90.PA.20
