Bare Bones

Elsa Peretti's candlesticks, a nod to simple, organic forms, still light our fire

- HANNAH MARTIN

Many children might have been frightened by the 17th-century Capuchin crypt in Rome, where the walls are encrusted with skeletal remains. But for a young Elsa Peretti, visits to the macabre site would ignite one of her lifelong fascinations: bones. Over the decades the Italian model turned sculptor and jewelry designer would collect them as objects of intrigue.

"Her creativity was always pushed by her curiosity," explains Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation board member Stefano Palumbo.