The Art of Enameling and
Contemporary Jewelry from Cyprus:
Panicos
Michaelides
Evis Michaelides
"Houses" by Panicos
Michaelides. Pendant in 18 carat gold,
7 x 3 cm. Cloisonne and champleve enamel with
diamonds.
A unique collection
of Objet d'Art and Jewelry in gold, silver and enamel, by two
Cypriot artists, was exhibited at the Hellenic Centre in
London from May 23rd to May 26th, 2002. It was
organized by the Cypriot Estia of London and sponsored by
the Bank of Cyprus (London) Ltd.
"Still Life" by Panicos
Michaelides.
Silver plaque, 9 x 6 cm. Cloisonne enamel, fine gold
wires.
The event was of
special interest considering that the earliest surviving
enamel objects come from Cyprus. They are six gold
rings with cloisonne enamel, dated the 13th Century BC,
which were discovered in a Mycenaean tomb at Kouklia, Cyprus
(see "The Earliest Cloisonne Enamels from Cyprus",
Glass on Metal, April 1989).
"Meditation" by Panicos
Michaelides.
Pendant in 18 carat gold with enamel and diamonds. 6 x
3 cm.
The Exhibition was
opened by the Cyprus High Commissioner, Mrs. Kleopa, and the
Great Hall was full. Among the guests were Erika
Speel, Jane Short and Pat Johnson. In the 415 items
exhibited, there were many pieces with cloisonne and plique
a jour enamel on silver and 18 carat gold, as well as
objects with the champleve and Limoges techniques. The
display also included a collection of pieces with chasing
and repoussČ work in 18 carat gold and in silver, many of
them bearing the London Silver Jubilee mark. There was
a collection of hand raised trays with married metals, a
collection of silver boxes with enamel and a collection of
miniature cloisonne icons in silver, enameled in the
Byzantine tradition.
"En Face" by Panicos Michaelides.
Pendant in 18 carat gold with enamel and diamonds. 5 x
3.4 cm.
Dr. Panicos
Michaelides writes: "For years I struggled to
find an exit from the restrictions of the ordinary and the
traditional in art. At times I became frustrated but
never gave it up. Trial and error, success and
failure, production and destruction went hand in hand until
continuous experimenting on paper and practicing in the
workshop lead the way to alien paths and strange
ideas. Throughout the years in my enameling career,
having seeked knowledge in many and diverse regions on the
globe, I feel blessed to have been able to learn techniques
in cloisonne and champleve and be nourished with tuition
from such eminent enamelists as Jane Short and Phil Barnes
in London. As counselors to my work they have never
failed. I have always been fascinated with their
innovative designs enameled with both delicacy and
restraint.
"Portrait of a Lady" by Panicos
Michaelides.
Hand engraved silver plaque, cloisonne enamel. 9 x 6
cm.
"Restraint in
design is a key word, and this I have tried to follow in the
"Brooch-Nude". Simplicity in line by leaving
our unnecessary detail in the figure, simplicity in form by
utilizing only two curved sides and simplicity in color by
using mainly red with a tinge of black. In my opinion
the enameler, like the painter, must not fall to the
temptation of adding more and more, although leaving less
and less may be more difficult as an alternative
option. Finding the right moment to stop is not always
easy. It is usually a matter of experience, but when
this point is reached there is a sign of relief with the
plain design depicting elegance and beauty in simplicity and
a monochrome worth on thousand colors.
"Nude" by Panicos Michaelides.
Brooch in 18 carat gold, champleve enamel and
diamonds. 7.5 x 2 cm.
"Who is she,
sitting on a stool of diamonds? Who knows! You
may look at it as a champleve female model. The gray
cells of the brain may understand it as...Aphrodite, the
Cyprus born Greek Goddess of Beauty and Love. For me
she is just a nude! Nothing more than a revelation of
beauty in simplicity."
"Composition" by Panicos
Michaelides.
Pendant in 18 carat gold, cloisonne, champleve, and plique a
jour
enamel with diamonds. 5.8 x 4.3 cm.
Dr. Michaelides
was born in Limassol, Cyprus. Although he studied
medicine (Glasgow, and Fellow of the Royal College of
Surgeons, Edinburgh) and practiced medicine for his whole
working career he has been involved in the arts for about forty
years. He studied enameling at the Sir John Cass
School of Art, London, and worked under master enamelists
and metalsmiths in many countries. He is an Associate
Member of the British Society of Enamellers and Founding
Member of the Enamelist Society, having been one of the
jurors at the 1991 Biennale at Kentucky. He presented
sixteen solo exhibitions in Cyprus, Athens, Washington D.C.,
and London. He has received ten awards from major
juried shows in Japan, with "The Grand Prix
Award", 2000. His enamel work was shown on CNN
International in 1996 and his web site is www.panicosm.com.
Necklace in white gold with diamonds
by Evis Michaelides
The contemporary
jewelry of Evis Michaelides Junior is a proposal which
combines an avant garde visual aspect and a very personal
design philosophy, in both form and technique. His
approach is out of the mainstream, providing a new aesthetic
dimension in which jewelry evolves in the new millennium as
an art form and not only as decorative ornamentation.
The artist at times incorporates free sculpted form to
create jewelry-sculptures and, at other times, composes
geometrically minimalist forms completely eliminating what
may be superfluous or unnecessary.
Earrings in yellow and white gold with
diamonds
by Evis Michaelides
Evis Michaelides
is a jewel designer born in Limassol, Cyprus. He
studied jewelry at Athens, Florence, and the Sir John Cass
School of Art in London. He has presented six solo
exhibitions and has participated in three group shows in
Cyprus and abroad. He is Director of the
"Precious Metal Gallery", Limassol, and his web
site is www.evisdesigns.com.
Ring in yellow and white gold with sapphire
by Evis Michaelides
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