Brooch c. 1939

Curator: Today we're looking at Marion Gaskill's "Brooch," a watercolor and ink drawing from around 1939. It features two designs for a potential piece of jewelry. Editor: My first impression is that this rendering conveys a kind of ornate fragility. The line work is so delicate, especially contrasted against the broad negative space of the paper. It’s not just a design; it evokes a sense of the precious object itself. Curator: Absolutely. Jewelry design in the interwar period often reflected the social and economic anxieties of the time, sometimes expressing resistance through subtle statements of wealth and artistry, and through pieces that suggested cultural connection as mass-production of adornment threatened to obliterate unique heritages. Gaskill, who studied textile design and design history, had to be deeply conscious of what adornment signaled in relation to the turbulent currents around her. Editor: The drawing has a rather traditional approach to shadowing that creates volume on these winding forms. And I wonder what led her to render each design at this scale in watercolor? This seems less like an exploratory sketch, and more like a very carefully constructed object in itself. Curator: Precisely. There's a tension here: the commercial intent is palpable, but at the same time there is clearly an interest in historical styles. The gold, interwoven lines and central, cabochon-like arrangement recall Celtic knotwork and Pictish metalworking. Editor: And the placement is very intriguing, too. The artist placed these forms high on the page, giving them an almost floating presence. And the fact that they aren't centered creates a sense of visual imbalance. It leads you to scrutinize the relationship between the jewelry pieces. Curator: And consider who might have worn such pieces during the period when the design was made. What did it mean to embrace or reinvent what came to be known as heritage at a time of global conflict? Editor: Examining Gaskill's draftsmanship reveals how the designs could potentially articulate values, too. In my perspective, the tension between art object and jewelry design is at the core of this work. Curator: I agree. By juxtaposing craft and cultural contexts, Gaskill’s "Brooch" becomes more than just a pretty plan: it sparks thoughts around the wearer and the significance of holding these objects in society and our history.