A long-standing collaborator of Fondazione Destination Florence (Bottega Orafa Paolo Penko are behind the pins given at the Florence Ambassador Award) the film has received 8 Oscar-nominations and 12 for the Baftas, including Best Costume Design, catapulting Florentine artisanal excellence to an international stage. Set in the Sistine Chapel, the film imagines the dramatic election of a new pope, with a cast almost entirely of cardinals to kit out in ecclesiastical garb, starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini and Sergio Castellitto.
Working closely with the costume designer Lisy Christl, the pieces seamlessly integrated with the costumes, adding depth to the characters and enriching the atmosphere of the film. The opportunity came about when the Florentine costume supervisor, Ilaria Marmugi, put the Penko workshop in touch with Christl, who commissioned pieces for the protagonists. So pleased with the results, the commission was expanded to cover the whole cast.
The workshop, founded by Paolo Penko and carried on by his wife Beatrice and sons Alessandro and Riccardo, represents one of the highest expressions of Florentine goldsmith art. Riccardo Penko shares more about the high-speed process to get the pieces prepared for filming:
“My father is co-founder of the School of Sacred Art in Florence so we had access to theological expertise, but the greatest challenge was finding new forms, as we were reflecting a contemporary period and so needed to portray current events. It took two and a half months to carry out the work, which we conducted over the Christmas period, so it was very busy but very beautiful. It was a great honour to work on such a high-level production. It was important for us to communicate the work that we do to create our jewels, and so each actor was provided with a slip of paper describing the piece. At our workshop, we create handmade objects that tell a story, which is why we worked on the back and front of each piece even though it wasn’t going to be seen by those watching the film. The cardinals in the film came from all over the world so we had to tell the stories of their geographical origin, their history, and also their approach, meaning each piece is completely unique”.
The entirely handcrafted jewellery was created using traditional techniques including lost wax casting, fretwork, engraving and penkato, adding to the quality and authenticity of the pieces and speaking to the passion of the artisans, with the pieces currently on display in the window of the workshop, with hopes for an exhibition in the future.
