Description
In the 1950's, the Frank & Regine Juhls homesteaded a studio in the wilderness of Northern Norway (Kautokeino) home to the Sami or Lapp people, much of the work from their early period shows the strong influence of the native Lapland jewelry style. Later in the 1960s, they came into their own unique style & produced some exquisite modernist pieces. in the early 1970s Viking inspired designs appeared as part of their collection. They crafted these pieces both in handwrought & cast work techniques. This is an artisan crafted piece designed by Frank Juhls. It was made sometime in the mid 1970s & is in beautiful vintage condition. The fibula measures 1.5" & has a working clasp. This remarkable design was clearly inspired by the archeological finds of the period. At this time, Viking burial jewelry influenced Scandinavian jewelry design universally & permanently. Designers such as David Andersen (Saga), Pentti Sarpaneva, Astri Holthe, Sigmund Espeland, Tostrup, Gustav Pedersen & many others produced famous jewelry lines inspired by these ancient works. Frank Juhls was no exception. This sterling silver fibula has a purely Viking composition with triangular ornamentation, scrolls completing the ends, & a center station accented by a U-shaped pattern. The shape is classically that of an ancient fibula. Composed of cast sterling silver, the construction is exemplary & was clearly crafted to last a lifetime. It is a solid weighty design. Interestingly, Frank was able to capture the ancient Viking aesthetic while blending the clean presentation associated with Scandinavian design. It is simply beautiful. What is a fibula? A fibula (/ˈfɪbjʊlə/, plural fibulae /ˈfɪbjʊli/) is a brooch or pin for fastening garments, typically at the right shoulder. The fibula developed in a variety of shapes, but all were based on the safety-pin principle. Unlike most modern brooches, fibulae were not only decorative; they originally served a practical function: to fasten clothing, such as cloaks & togas. in English, "fibula" is not a word used for modern jewelry, but by archaeologists, who also use "brooch", especially for types other than the ancient "safety pin" types, & for types from the British Isles. About the Julhs Yesterday & Today: in the 1950s, Kautokeino was an isolated community with no roads, where the Sami people still lived their traditional way of life. A young Danish adventurer, Frank Juhls, was working here as a handyman, while a young German girl, Regine, had taken a job as a maid with a reindeer herding family. The adventurers found each other & became part of this unique community. Frank Juhls began to take on work repairing Sami silver jewellery, none of which had been made by the Sami; it had found its way north through trade. Sun wheels from Siberia, silver spoons & Catholic crosses, filigree brooches from Bergen an assortment of items from different traditions, now united in eclectic beauty on traditional costumes, bringing new meaning to the
