Joseph Masaniello worked in New York from the late 1940's through the 1970's, an Italian-American silversmith who took the Arts and Crafts tradition and pushed it somewhere more geometric and modern, developing a design vocabulary distinctly his own — calla lilies became something of a signature, turning up across his output enough that collectors now recognise the motif before they even spot his mark. This brooch shows two lilies rising from a scrolled base, the fluid, sculptural line work characteristic of his hand.
Masaniello often paired his silverwork with natural stones — jade, moonstone, agate, onyx — though this piece is left unadorned, letting the sterling silver and its curves do all the talking. It's signed with his conjoined "JM" mark alongside "Sterling," and pieces bearing his mark have become increasingly hard to find as demand among modernist jewellery collectors has grown, which is generally what happens to the work of a maker who died having made rather less of it than people now wish he had.
Condition notes
Great vintage condition. No visible damage or repairs. Minor surface wear consistent with age and use.
