Kathleen Siriani
Oak Lawn, Illinois
Eve's Lament
a parure of fine and sterling silver, with chrysoberyl,
formed earrings and necklace with Etruscan chain, cast
ring
The
work targets the application of human imperfection on a biblical subject, and
the somber effects of human feeling. Chrysoberyl was used to give the wearer
protection from helplessness caused by fascination, and also cure diseases of
the eye. This relates strongly to temptation, and parallels Eve's disastrous
attraction to the forbidden fruit. Snakelike forms also refer to the serpent,
the source of the predicament in the genesis creation story of Adam and Eve.
When paired with the Etruscan chain these snakes symbolize fertility and
motherhood in an ancient Greek context. One is left to imagine the guilt of the
first sinner of all mankind in the aftermath of a battle for power between good
and evil.
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