CORBETT, Patricia 1951-

PERSONAL:

Born 1951.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 100 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011.

CAREER:

Author, editor, and art historian. Former editor of European edition of Connoisseur; contributor of monthly column to Italian edition of the New York Times Book Review.

WRITINGS:

(With Caroline Lebeau) Fabrics: The Decorative Art of Textiles, Clarkson Potter (New York, NY), 1994.

Verdura: The Life and Work of a Master Jeweler, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 2002.

Contributor to periodicals, including Conde Nast Traveller, Atlantic Monthly, New York Review of Books, and the New York Times.

SIDELIGHTS:

Author and art historian Patricia Corbett combines her skills in Verdura: The Life and Work of a Master Jeweler, a biography of Sicilian jeweler Fulco Santostefano della Cerda, duke of Verdura. The book recounts the life of Verdura, an aristocrat whose society connections led him to employment in Paris with Coco Chanel and a career in jewelry design. Verdura's fame grew, and his work took him to Hollywood and New York, where he became jeweler to the stars. Katharine Hepburn wore his designs in The Philadelphia Story, and his jewelry was favored by such notable figures as Minnie Astor and Babe Paley. When Verdura opened his own jewelry house in Manhattan, songwriter Cole Porter provided backing.

Choice contributor L. Doumato noted that the book "documents Verdura's work within the context of his personal life, as well as the society that lauded both him and his jewelry." Corbett goes beyond the story of Verdura's art, fleshing out other aspects of his life, including relationships with friends and family. Barbara Jacobs, in a review for Booklist, stated that Verdura "factualizes a life and a name that previously were only a legend and a coveted signature." Vogue columnist Hamish Bowles summed up Corbett's book as "an entertaining romp through the glittering life and work of a man as vivacious as the fanciful jewels for which he was known."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 2003, Barbara Jacobs, review of Verdura: The Life and Work of a Master Jeweler, p. 963.

Choice, April, 2003, L. Doumato, review of Verdura, p. 1353.

Tribune Books (Chicago), December 8, 2002, Lynn Van Matre, review of Verdura, p. 4.

Vogue, October, 2002, Hamish Bowles, "The King of Diamonds: Sicilian Aristocrat Fulco di Verdura Proved That When It Comes to Dazzling Jewelry Design, Anything Goes," p. 243.*