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Lot Essay
This piece is one of six known examples of the ‘Cassini’ Sculpture, commissioned by Tiffany & Co., designed by Charles O. Perry, and made by Ubaldo Vitali.
Charles O. Perry (1929-2011) was a sculptor, architect, and industrial designer. When creating the ‘Cassini’ Sculpture, Perry was inspired by the works of astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini (1625-1712), who believed that a planetary orbit could be along the intersection of a cylinder with a sphere. Perry artistically stimulated this scientific theory through a sculpture comprised of six orbits at the same radius. Monumental steel versions of this design are installed at The Civic Arts Complex in Ringwood, Australia and East Moline, Illinois. The design concept is commonly associated with one of his most famous sculptures, Continuum, located National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
Ubaldo Vitali (b. 1944) is a fourth generation Roman silversmith whose work is featured in many museum collections. (See lot 8 for a tureen by Ubaldo Vitali)
Another Perry/Vitali silver sculpture of this 'Cassini' model sold at Freeman's, Philadelphia, 13 November 2012, lot 313.
Charles O. Perry (1929-2011) was a sculptor, architect, and industrial designer. When creating the ‘Cassini’ Sculpture, Perry was inspired by the works of astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini (1625-1712), who believed that a planetary orbit could be along the intersection of a cylinder with a sphere. Perry artistically stimulated this scientific theory through a sculpture comprised of six orbits at the same radius. Monumental steel versions of this design are installed at The Civic Arts Complex in Ringwood, Australia and East Moline, Illinois. The design concept is commonly associated with one of his most famous sculptures, Continuum, located National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
Ubaldo Vitali (b. 1944) is a fourth generation Roman silversmith whose work is featured in many museum collections. (See lot 8 for a tureen by Ubaldo Vitali)
Another Perry/Vitali silver sculpture of this 'Cassini' model sold at Freeman's, Philadelphia, 13 November 2012, lot 313.