Falko Marx

Kinetic water ring with Madonna image 18 ct yellow gold. Custom-made. Wide convex forged band ring shank. Oval, profiled capsule ring head, inlaid with a 19th century porcelain miniature and filled with blackish liquid in which loose strips of sheet gold, gold powder, diamonds in various cuts, faceted rubies and emeralds as well as heart-shaped opals float. Rail hand-engraved on the inside: Fineness 750, MZ "FM 84", owner's monogram "CH". Capsule with dent. Ring head 3.1 x 2.5 cm. RW approx. 54. Weight 41.57 g. Falko Marx, Cologne 1984. The type of kinetic "water ring" has appeared in Falko Marx's oeuvre since the late 1960s, into which he also integrated objets trouvés, among other things. In this case, a portrait of the Madonna. "Liquid containing bubbles, sometimes dyed black, granules, precious metal needles and gemstones conceal or reveal other parts of the motif as they move, kaleidoscopically varying the overall appearance of the piece of jewelry in often surprising ways" (Gerhard Dietrich in the foreword to the cited catalog, p. 8). Provenance Spanish private collection. Literature On the water ring with miniatures of saints, see Falko Marx (ed.), Falko Marx - Schmuck/Jewellery, Cologne 2009, pp. 104, 108, 114, 122.