DUBAI // If you fancy wearing a pendant with your favourite horse on it, or the same image as a cufflink or bracelet, then Daria Borgarello is the woman to go to.
A painter, sculptor and goldsmith, the Italian artist can carve out portraits of horses or their entire body either in white or rose gold studded with diamonds or plain silver, depending on how deep your pocket is.
“Before I start work, I go to see the horse, if possible, and take a number of pictures,” said the expatriate, who is looking for buyers for her unique artwork at the 10th Dubai International Horse Fair that began on Thursday at Dubai World Trade Centre.
“If I have to show the horse in movement, I make videos and see them at least 30 times. I don’t just capture the shape of the animal, but try to capture their personality, the expression in their eyes, whether they are kind or aggressive.”
Ms Borgarello’s art form is called bas-relief, a kind of sculpture where shapes are carved so they are slightly higher than the flat background.
Her masterpieces range from limited collections of Estimate, a thoroughbred racehorse owned by the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, to the American thoroughbred Royal Delta and Monterosso, the prized possession of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
In fact, it was the horse’s 2012 win at the Dubai World Cup that proved a turning point for Ms Borgarello, whose clients are often from royal families, in the UAE and elsewhere.
“Monterosso moved me a lot because I witnessed the victory. It was a very intense race and I thought it would be the first racehorse I would sculpt,” said Ms Borgarello. She has sold 12 pieces of Monterosso so far, many of which, she said, had been bought by Sheikh Mohammed.
Her exquisite, limited-edition portraits can vary in size from 1.5cm to 4cm and can cost up to US$20,000 (Dh73,460), depending on the number of diamonds used. Her silver pieces are more affordable, with a price tag of Dh400.
Many of her customers are horse owners, trainers and jockeys, and a sizeable number are horse-lovers from the UAE, US and Japan.
She said: “Men usually buy the cufflinks and pin jackets, while women like the necklaces and brooches.”
Once she receives orders, the Italian, who has an office in the Gold and Diamond Park on Sheikh Zayed Road, makes a wax model and sends it to her homeland.
“They do the mould from my wax model and do the casting in gold or silver and do the setting in diamond,” she said.
Her work can take anywhere from two to seven weeks, depending on whether the request is for the head or the full horse.
But Ms Borgarello, who has lived in the UAE since 1993, has not always been into bas-reliefs.
She began her career as a jewellery designer and first come here to display her work in 1993 at an Abu Dhabi art festival. She just never left.
“I came to exhibit rings and jewellery. In fact, the late Sheikh Zayed and his daughter were my clients. They usually ordered large necklaces, in diamond and emerald,” she said.
It was only in 2009 when the late Indian painter, M F Husain, encouraged her to resume painting that she started focusing on horses.
“He was a good friend and my neighbour in London. I told him I can’t paint in the UAE because female models were not allowed. He told me: ‘You have a horse, why don’t you paint it?’ He pushed me to understand my horse very well and I started to work with my horse in Abu Dhabi in 2010.”
Ms Borgarello’s work is on display until Saturday. A number of painters also had their art displayed at the horse fair, which was attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. One of them was Prash Sankhe, an Indian artist who was hoping to sell 12 of his works – all of Arabian horses.
“This is my passion and I hope buyers will be interested. All my work is in black and white,” said Mr Sankhe.
One hundred Arabian horse breeds will go under the hammer at the horse auction on the final day of the fair.
Ziad Abdullah Galadari, chairman of the higher organising committee of the Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship, which runs alongside the fair, said: “The Middle East is globally recognised as an international equine capital and these world-class events continue to showcase the legendary grace, beauty, speed and power of genuine Arabian thoroughbreds in an accessible, family orientated environment.”
pkannan@thenational.ae
