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Fulco Santostefano della Cerda, Duke of Verdura (20 March 1898 – 15 August 1978) was an influential
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
jeweller. His career began with an introduction to designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel by composer
Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...
. He opened his own jewelry salon, which he called Verdura, in 1939.Nadelson, Reggie. “Razzle Dazzle.” ''Departures'' Magazine, September, 2002

He was the last to bear the now-defunct Sicily, Sicilian title of Duke of Verdura, and his cousin was a prominent Sicilian prince, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, author of the famous novel '' The Leopard''. A biography of Fulco di Verdura was published by
Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...
, authored by Patricia Corbett.


Beginnings

Born in 1898 in
Palermo, Italy Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
to Giulio Santostefano della Cerda and Carolina Valguarnera dei principi di Niscemi, Fulco di Verdura grew up in aristocratic surroundings largely unchanged since the 1700s. During his early years, he developed a vivid imagination, wild sense of humor, and a love for animals that would later influence his jewelry designs. Fulco gained the title of
duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
when, in August 1923, his father died. Free to go where he pleased but limited financially, he would have to find a profession that fit his stature and provided income to match his lifestyle.


The Chanel years

A meeting in 1919 put Fulco on the path to discover what would be his life's work. That year, he met Linda and
Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...
– two of his biggest supporters and early backers – in Palermo. Six years later, during a party hosted by the Porters in Venice, Linda introduced Fulco to Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who would go on to hire Fulco as a textile designer in 1927. Quickly identifying his talents, Chanel asked him to update the settings of jewelry she had been given by ex-lovers, including Bendor Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, and the Russian Grand Duke Dmitri.van der Post, Lucia. “Fakes are fun, but proper rocks endure.” ''Financial Times'', Weekend June 8/June 9, 1996. Impressed with his work, Chanel began what would be an eight-year collaboration by making him head designer of
Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...
jewelry.Mulholland, Tara.”Fulco di Verdura: The elegant beguiler of stars.” ''The New York Times'', May 2, 2008

/ref> Not long after Fulco started working for Chanel, he created her now iconic Maltese Cross Cuffs, setting a gold cross adorned with bright cabochons in white enamel.Corbett, Patricia. ''Verdura: The Life and Works of a Master Jeweler''. Thames & Hudson, 2002. , p. 85. A year later, Chanel boutiques sold a piece of costume jewelry modeled after the cuffs Fulco created. The cuffs are considered the hallmark of the Verdura brand and they have been copied many times over the years.Conly, Sarah. “Verdura Cuffs.” ''Harper’s Bazaar'', October 2009.


The Flato years

Fulco left Chanel in 1934 to venture to the United States with Baron
Nicolas de Gunzburg Nicolas Louis Alexandre de Gunzburg (; 12 December 1904 – 20 February 1981), also known as Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg, was a French-born magazine editor and socialite. He became an editor at several American publications, including ''Town & Cou ...
and Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley.Corbett, Patricia. ''Verdura: The Life and Works of a Master Jeweler''. Thames & Hudson, 2002. , p. 82. He traveled first to Hollywood and then to New York where Diana Vreeland, a Chanel client, introduced Fulco to the jeweler Paul Flato. Fulco joined Flato's design team full-time when Flato opened a boutique in Hollywood. “Verdura for Flato” became a signature admired by both socialites on the East Coast and silver screen royalty out west.


Verdura LLC

Fulco broke out on his own in 1939, opening a small salon called Verdura in New York at 712 Fifth Avenue with the financial backing of Cole Porter and Vincent Astor. His primary inspiration came from his childhood in Sicily.Borgonovo, Carmen. “Rock Garden.” ''W'' Magazine, March 1, 2001. His love of art began when he learned about the Renaissance in an illustrated book on
Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...
.Scarisbrick, Diana. “Wit on the Grand Scale.” ''Country Life'' Magazine. June 7, 1990. In the designs he made for Verdura, he continuously incorporated themes of nature, creating brooches that looked like leaves made of colored zircons, a pomegranate made of ruby seeds, a gold corncob made with black pearl kernels, and an artichoke made of emerald petals. In 1941, Fulco collaborated with
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
on a collection of jewelry designs. This historic partnership resulted in the following creations: Medusa brooch, Apollo and Daphne brooch, St. Sebastian objet d'art, spider cigarette case, fallen angel pillbox. The collection debuted at the Julien Levy Gallery in Manhattan in 1941 and was later exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of a Dalí/ Joan Miro exhibition. Also that year, he designed “Night and Day” cufflinks for Cole Porter that were inspired by the lyrics of the hit song and have since become signature Verdura pieces. Porter, in return, immortalized Fulco's name in the song “Farming” from the 1941 show ''Let’s Face It!'': “Liz Whitney has, on her bin of manure, a Clip designed by the Duke of Verdura.”Letson, Neil. “The Peerless Verdura.” ''Connoisseur'' Magazine, March, 1983. During the 1960s, Cartier sought Fulco's creative input for a potential collaboration. However, Fulco declined the offer, choosing to remain independent. A perfectionist, Fulco would spend his days drafting precise design sketches, specifying materials, size, and color. Joseph Alfano, Fulco's business partner, is responsible for preserving a good portion of Fulco's sketches that now comprise the Verdura archive and otherwise would have been destroyed, rescuing overlooked pages in sketchbooks, scraps left on the floor, and sheets discarded in wastepaper baskets. Fulco di Verdura's illustrious clientele included royalty, socialites, and Hollywood legends. Among his most notable commissions was the "Indian Headdress Tiara" for Betsy Cushing Whitney, crafted in yellow gold and diamonds, worn at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
when her husband,
John Hay Whitney John Hay Whitney (August 17, 1904 – February 8, 1982) was an American venture capitalist, sportsman, philanthropist, newspaper publisher, film producer and diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the '' New ...
, served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, as well as the emerald ‘scarf’ necklace made for Dorothy Paley Hirshon. For Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, Verdura designed exquisite pieces like a thistle-shaped brooch, gem-studded shell ear clips, and jeweled compacts. Other distinguished clients include Hollywood stars such as
Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...
,
Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...
, and
Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
, the latter making the Maltese Cross cuffs her signature accessory, as well as socialites like Diana Vreeland and Babe Paley.


Personal life

According to the British interior decorator Nicholas Haslam, Fulco was a lover of Simon Fleet or Harry Carnes, his real name. Simon had worked as an actor and designer. Fulco later met Tom Parr, an interior decorator who was a friend and business partner of David Nightingale Hicks and later head of Colefax and Fowler. They stayed together until Fulco's death.


Retirement and Death

In 1973, Fulco sold his stake in his business to Alfano and retired to London where he continued to sketch and paint until his death in 1978.Corbett, Patricia. ''Verdura: The Life and Works of a Master Jeweler''. Thames & Hudson, 2002. , Preface. He never married and had no children and so with him, the Santostefano della Cerda family died out. He had arranged for his ashes to be brought to Palermo after his death and kept in the family tomb at the Cimitero di Sant'Orsola in Palermo.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verdura, Fulco Di Italian jewellery designers Italian jewellers 20th-century Italian nobility 1898 births Italian socialites Italian LGBTQ artists 1978 deaths 20th-century Italian LGBTQ people