Beyond Belief…
Bentley & Skinner the Bond Street Jewellers and longstanding clients collaborate with Damien Hirst to produce the heart-stopping masterpiece ‘For the Love of God’.
This unique work of art, which was 18 months in the making, is a faithful copy of an original human skull, cast in 2,156 grams of platinum and set with 8,601 perfect diamonds. This is the largest diamond piece to be commissioned since the Crown Jewels and is set with three times the number of diamonds in the Imperial State Crown.
Mark Evans, Managing Director of Bentley & Skinner told us: “This commission has been an extraordinary challenge, and a privilege and joy to fulfil. My staff and I understood the enormity of the task we had taken on, but were thrilled to help turn an artist’s dream into reality. It was Mr Hirst’s insistence that only the finest materials and workmanship should be used and that was the driving force behind this exciting project”.
The skull, bought from a London taxidermy and natural history artefacts shop in 2005, from which the work of art is modelled is proved to be that of a male of European ancestry who died in his mid-thirties somewhere between 1720 and 1810.
For the Love of God is set with 1,106.18 carats of the finest quality, ethically-sourced, brilliant cut diamonds. The forehead of the skull is mounted with a magnificent internally flawless light fancy pink pear-shaped brilliant cut diamond weighing 52.40 carats, surrounded by fourteen D flawless white brilliant cut pear-shaped diamonds weighing a total of 37.81 carats. The jaws of the platinum skull have been set with the teeth extracted from the original skull.
This masterpiece is on show in Damien Hirst’s ‘Beyond Belief’ exhibition at the White Cube Gallery, (visit www.whitecube.com for details) until the 7th July 2007.
With a history spanning over 180 years, Bentley & Skinner, jewellers by Royal Appointment to both Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, a traditional jewellers, is clearly unafraid to push the boundaries and challenges of creating beautiful masterpieces. For more information visit www.bentley-skinner.co.uk .
Mark Evans comments: Bentley & Skinner have worked with Westbury for over three generations – from the days of Westbury Schotness through to current day. Westbury have always and continue to provide an exemplary service.
Westbury has always taken a keen interest in the ‘arts’, with a significant number of artists within our client portfolio and a practice-wide commitment to supporting local artists through sponsorship of exhibitions, through to the next venture of promoting local art within our offices. For more information about Westbury and the Arts contact Keith Graham on 020 7553 7122 or by clicking on keithg@westbury.co.uk.
