Influenced by Orthodox Baroque and African Sacred Art Reliquary Plastron Necklace “Lacrimae Mundi — The Madonna Without Child”
Faith wears many faces. Suffering speaks a single language.
Stylized sculptural necklace · One of a Kind · Paris 2026
The artwork consists of two interconnected elements:
A dramatic choker-corset embracing the throat, inspired by the iconic neck adornments of the Kayan women. It transforms the neck into a sacred architectural space, where the body itself becomes a reliquary.
An oversized pectoral plastron pendant, centred around a carved African female mask, framed by the opulence of Orthodox Baroque-inspired ornamentation. The serene, inward-looking face enters into dialogue with the Western iconographic image of the Madonna — yet here, the Madonna stands without her child.
The absence becomes the heart of the work.
What remains is the figure of a woman confronting faith, loss, endurance and silence.
African sacred forms and Orthodox Baroque ornamentation converge once again, not as a juxtaposition of cultures, but as a single sculptural language — a meditation on the many faces of devotion and the universality of human suffering.
Measurements:
Plastron Pendant: W=15 cm, H=35 cm
Choker-corset for the throat: Adjustable L 35-37 cm, H=6 cm
Techniques used: Mixed media
Description of materials:
Hand-carved African wooden mask, brass stampings, gold-tone filigree components, freshwater pearls, genuine horn elements, cowrie shell, various seed, wooden and glass beads. 24k matt gold plated findings: beads, spacer beads. Other mixed metal findings.