Stone and glass mosaic manufacturer New Ravenna has introduced two new mosaic art panels that draw inspiration from a 20th century artist known for glamorous Art Deco stage sets, jewelry, and costume design.
The brand says La Panthère Blanche and La Panthère Noire mosaic panels were inspired by the work of Erté, the pseudonym of Romain de Tirtoff, “the 20th century artist and designer known for his glamorous art deco stage sets, jewelry, costumes, sculpture, and graphic design.”
“The Russian born artist moved to Paris when he was 18 beginning his career as a fashion illustrator creating stylized sinuous women draped in elegant bejeweled clothing,” Exmore, Va.-based company says. “In art deco iconography, the panther is symbolic of independent femininity, grace, and speed.”
Each panel is handcrafted in Absolute White, Obsidian, Champagne, Peridot, Emerald, and Mirror jewel glass, with a 24k gold glass background. The 3-foot-by-6-foot panels are opposite mirror images of each other, and can be customized in scale, framed as decorative art panels, or installed as part of a functional surface, such as an interior shower wall.
“When we were designing the Bright Young Things collection, we wanted to create an ode to the iconic graphic arts of the Jazz Age,” creative director Cean Irminger says. “The hundreds of groundbreaking illustrators of the time left us spoiled for choice, but ultimately we decided to design our pieces in the style of Erté, considered to be the father of art deco. The lithe, sensuous feminine figures of his theater and fashion illustrations are timeless in their beauty, with nods to the ancient worlds, Eastern cultures, and abundant sumptuous decoration.
“We chose to depict our femmes and felines in the traditional deco palette of black and white and laid them on a textured bed of 24k gold as a reference to the magnificent Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna,” Irminger continues. “The versatility of glass made it possible to depict details such as the inert power in the bodies of the panthers, the tiny decorations in the headdresses, and the flower canopies. Thousands of hand shaped tesserae allowed us to use the inherent storytelling abilities of our craft to pay homage to the period and the man himself, Erté."
The mosaic panels are available at New Ravenna showrooms throughout the U.S.
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