Happenings: Bulgari’s Serpenti Exhibit Opens In NYC
I think it’s safe to say I have a Serpenti obsession. Lucky for me (and other New York City residents), Bulgari has just opened a new pop-up in the Meatpacking District to celebrate the Serpenti’s 75th anniversary.
The exhibition has all kinds of historical Serpenti treats on offer: from the highly stylized gold Tubogas Serpentis first created in the late 1940s (fit with outsourced movements and dials signed by the likes of JLC, Movado, and Vacheron) to the more naturalistic snakes created in the late ’50s well into the late ’70s, with the head of the snake attached by a hinge to conceal a secret watch. All this amongst other glorious mid-century Serpentis, made with intricate gem setting and enamel work. There’s also non-watch-related Serpenti jewelry too!
A Serpenti Tubogas bracelet watch in gold and blackened steel with Jaeger Le-Coultre signed dial from 1975.
The Serpenti is undoubtedly Bulgari’s most iconic watch. I would say it’s safe to call it one of the most successful women’s watch designs of all time. The snake itself stands as an obvious ode to Sortorio Bulgari’s Greek heritage. It represents birth, rebirth, strength, eternity, and metamorphosis. Now you can take an up-close and personal look at some of these historical pieces and fall into a mythical, sinuous, gem-laden Bulgari fantasy.
The author lovingly gazing at the Serpentis on display.
If you feel like taking your serpentine reverie to the next level, make sure to check out director and artist Refik Anadol’s multi-sensory installation in the space. It’s colorful, trippy, and just the right amount of heady – a bit like Serpenti.
The author at Refik Anadol’s installation at the pop-up.
Seeing double in the installation room.
I went to visit the exhibition last week and spent some time handling these precious historical watches. Naturally, I came away with a few thoughts.
The physical feeling of putting on a Serpenti watch is unlike anything else I’ve experienced in my years of trying on and playing with jewelry. It’s a highly tactile experience.
Serpenti bracelet-watch in gold and platinum with rubies and diamonds from 1968.
The scaley exteriors are built from hard pieces of precious metal, covered in grooves or scales, inlaid with precious gems, and carefully painted enamel. Touching them feels almost like touching a porcupine before it puts up its quills: Handle with care.
Serpenti bracelet-watch in gold with red and yellow enamel and rubies from 1967.
Should I wear one on each wrist?
As standalone objects, Serpentis look intimidating; coiled up reptiles with bumpy scales and lifelike forked tongues.
There are several practical questions one needs to take into account if one considers themselves a Serpenti novice: How do I put this on? Which way around does this go? How on earth do I fit this tightly balled-up creature onto a physical limb? Serpenti is not just jewelry; it’s sculpture.
A view inside the mouth of the red and yellow enamel Serpenti from 1967.
The inside of a Serpenti is malleable; if you were to dissect a Serpenti and pierce through the hard metal, you would find a flexible, springy spine. Slowly unwrap a Serpenti’s vertebrae and ceremoniously wrap it around your arm like you would wrap your hands and wrists in bandages for a combat sport: Serpenti is armor.
Serpenti bracelet-watch in gold with black and white enamel and diamonds from 1967.
Like high heeled shoes that tie up and around the leg with ribbon or laces, putting on a Serpenti is a carefully measured and meticulous process. It’s a sensual experience; as if a human body with heat and sweat turns this precious-metal object into a living, breathing, creature. Wrap it around your arm and suddenly it’s an extension of you. Open up the head and inside lies a tiny mechanical watch; a jewel inside of a jewel.
The author wearing the Serpenti bracelet-watch in gold and platinum with rubies and diamonds from 1968.
Serpentis are bold and glamorous, worn by women like Elizabeth Taylor and the late Diana Vreeland (former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue). Vreeland owned a one-of-a-kind gold, white and pink enamel Serpenti belt that measured over 30 inches in length which she wore double-wrapped, as a necklace.
Serpentis are perfect subjects – Principessa di Genzano was photographed by Henry Clarke for Vogue in 1968, handling the snake as if it were alive. Irving Penn’s 1971 picture of the enamel snakes suggestively enveloping an elegant hand with brightly painted red nails has become iconic in its own right.
The author handling a a 2010 Serpenti belt in gold with black enamel and diamonds, ca. 2010 (replica of a model from the 1970s). Wearing a Serpenti bracelet-watch in gold with black and orange enamel and diamonds from 1965.
Serpentis are made to wear for pleasure and for decoration. An intentional piece of women’s watch design, they embody my ultimate wants and needs from an accessory. The tight embrace of gold on my arm is a statement, an indulgent act that says, “Look at me. I like attention,” but in a cool and casual way. Stoically handling the powerful grip of a Serpenti while admiring its glamor and revealing in the attention of lustful onlookers is my type of watch-wearing experience. I admire the romance, the sex, and the power wrapped up in these sinuous pieces of jewelry.
Wearing a Serpenti, like wearing a piece of armor, is powerful, and that makes it perfect.
The “Bulgari Serpenti 75 Years of Infinite Tales” exhibit is open from June 8th though July 16th. For More information click here.
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