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The jewels of Chaumet in virtual exhibitions



During the home confinement, due to the Cornavirus pandemic, the House of Chaumet in Paris has been holding virtual exhibitions of their jewellery.

As the period of confinement comes gradually to the end, they have posted on their website the last chapter of their Chaumet’s Virtuosity #ChaumetatHome series, as part of their 12BIS Virtual Musuem.

It presents two exhibitions: A Sentimental Education and Imperial Splendours. 

A Sentimental Exhibition is the virtual extension of the Ephemere Museum, which provides a thematic stroll through the old collections of jewels, drawings, models, and photographs of jewellery design. 

I like the ‘Acrostics’ – the jewels that conceal hidden messages of love in the initials of the gemstones. Napolean Bonaparte gave the bracelets as wedding and birthday gifts to the Empress Josephine, and later to Marie-Louis, his mother, and his sister. The House of Chaumet has regularly re-interpreted the Acrostic jewels over time, sometimes adding ribbons or other touches. 

Imperial Splendours spans the heritage of the House of Chaumet from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 21st century. The exhibition depicts the Parisian spirit and a certain French art-de-vivre—the art of living. About 300 pieces of jewels, paintings, drawings, and objects of art are shown. Prestigious collections and prominent museums support the event, such as The Louvre and the Château de Fountainbleau in France, and the Victoria and Albert Museum of London. 















MARTINA NICOLLS


MARTINA NICOLLS  is an international aid and development consultant, and the author  of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce  (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).


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