Author(s): Otto Jakob (Artist); Vivienne Becker (Contribution by); Angelika Taschen (Editor)

Fashion Design

A chamber of curiosities cast in jewels: the art of goldsmith Otto Jakob both disturbs and fascinates

Otto Jakob (born 1951) is an internationally renowned German jewelry maker, and perhaps one of the most unusual. After studying painting under Georg Baselitz, he turned to goldsmithing. As an autodidact, he learned to mix traditional techniques with contemporary content. His pieces are meticulously detailed and, rather than being only formally pleasing, they tell stories.

Jakob's influences are manifold: nature, religion, art and art history. For instance, his jellyfish earrings, Medusae, are inspired by Ernst Haeckel's lithographs. To make his Cyphostemma earrings, Jacob made casts of the leaves of a rare Somalian plant, while the most fascinating types of insects from his personal chamber of curiosities serve as models for his beetle earrings.

This volume reveals Jakob's creative universe and features important leitmotifs from his work. The sources of his inspiration are contrasted with his works, revealing the vocabulary of form he uses for his magical pieces.