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What makes a piece of jewellery precious?
For Sonja Landweer (1933–2019), the answer extended far beyond gold, silver and gemstones. Through her innovative use of unconventional materials, sculptural forms and organic structures, Landweer challenged established ideas of jewellery, creating distinctive works that blurred the boundaries between adornment and sculpture.
Born in the Netherlands in 1933, Landweer studied at the Amsterdam School of Industrial Design before undertaking an apprenticeship at Zaalberg Pottery in the early 1950s. Initially recognised for her ceramics, she soon developed a multidisciplinary practice encompassing bronze, painting, printmaking and jewellery.
In 1965, Landweer moved to Ireland after being invited to establish a ceramic studio at the Kilkenny Design Workshops. She subsequently settled in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, where she continued to develop her distinctive artistic language and became an influential figure in Ireland’s craft and design community.
Although ceramics remained an important part of her practice, it was her approach to jewellery and body sculpture that particularly demonstrated her willingness to challenge convention. Landweer experimented with an extraordinary range of materials, including slate, wood, paper, feathers, bone, leather, plastic, ceramics and synthetic fibres.
These materials were transformed into wearable works of art, encouraging a different understanding of jewellery as an extension of artistic expression. Nature was a constant source of inspiration throughout Landweer’s career.
This interest became particularly evident in her later pieces. During the 1990s, a winter visit to Crete inspired her to explore the skeletal forms of dried and prickly plant remains. She developed innovative techniques using knotted monofilament, creating intricate structures that drew attentionto the spaces between their materials as much as to the materials themselves.
In other works, large sequins, semi-precious stones and gold-crimped nylon were combined to produce striking pieces. Ingenuity, craftsmanship and artistic vision became central to the identity of each piece.
Landweer’s contribution to the arts was recognised internationally. She received the Verzetsprijs in the Netherlands in 1964 and the Prix Artistique at the International Biennale of Art Ceramics in Vallauris, France, in 1974. In 1981, she was elected to Aosdána, recognising her significant contribution to the creative arts in Ireland.
Her work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including the Arts Council Collection, the National Museum of Ireland and the Ulster Museum in Belfast.
For collectors, Landweer’s pieces offer an opportunity to own the work of an artist who reimagined the possibilities of personal adornment.
Adams Auctioneers is delighted to present works by Sonja Landweer in our upcoming Auction 'Sonja Landweer: Body Ornaments & Jewellery'.
Auction: Tuesday 24th November
Catalogue Coming Soon
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John ffrench was an instrumental figure in the design industry in Ireland and a distinguished pioneer of Irish studio pottery.
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"I should declare my hand. I have a weakness for pictures that punch above their physical weight, and for artists who have been quietly underrated for too long. This pair is both. They are intimate enough to live with at close quarters and serious enough to repay any amount of looking. If the market has lately shown signs of catching up with eighteenth-century Irish painting and I think it has, these two small panels feel, to me, like exactly the sort of thing that will look obvious in twenty years’ time."
Adam’s is honoured to present works from the collection of Lord Rossmore in the upcoming Country House Collections auction at Howth Castle on 28th April. It is seldom that an influential Irish family collection that has survived through the generations comes to the open market.
Works Sold at Adam’s Now in the Irish National Collection
A great opportunity to purchase both established and lesser-known artist’s work at an accessible price point, the Online Picture Auction is the first of many sales to be hosted at Adam’s in 2026. It is perfect for those looking to start a collection and the discerning collector alike.
Through this article, let our expert Adam Pearson guiding you to the (re)discovery of the once established Irish painter Richard O’Neill.
Buying at Auction and the Role of Antiques in a Modern Home
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
