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Rino Frascarolo (1928-1976), from Valenza, Italy, was one of the most important people involved in the revitalization of jewellery in the 1960s. Like contemporaries such as David Webb, Verdura or Schlumberger, he had great success in America with his address at 745 Fifth Avenue, New York.
The "Bestiary" collection, a limited edition launched towards the end of the 1960s by the jewellers Frascarolo & Co., was the leitmotif of the artist. Inspired by sculpture, these jewels were modelled using the technique of lost wax casting, are decorated with engravings and precious stones and finished with enamels en ronde-bosse, champlevé and cloisonné. The animals are captured in aggressive attitudes or in caricatured poses.
The artistic value of this collection derives from the highly expressive nature of the animals represented together with perfect technical mastery and an impeccable finish. This overwhelming naturalism was achieved through the work of various associates who formed Frascarolo's team, among whom was prominent figure of the Milanese sculptor Renzo Basini, as well as other technicians like wax modellers, casters, enamellers, engravers, etc.
The amusing subject of these creations alongside their vivid polychromy is a good reflection of the spirit of jewellery making in the 1960s. In this case, though, the finesse of the execution and the typically Italian acute sculptural sense make it one of the most distinctive collections in the history of jewellery.