Imperial Splendours, exhibition in Beijing’s Forbidden City, China

Under the scientific direction of Henri Loyrette, the exhibition is built around Chaumet’s patrimonial wealth; a unique body of historic jewels, drawings and archives. Imperial Splendours spans the history of the Maison from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 21st and illustrates the uninterrupted transmission of exceptional savoir-faire. The presentation of the diadem of the 21st century, the result of a creative competition at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, closes the exhibition while opening the doors to the future. During centuries, Chaumet creations have echoed the excellence of the decorative arts, to become a major reference in the history of taste, the Parisian spirit and a certain French art de vivre.
 
Set in the Palace Museum, Beijing (formerly known as the Forbidden City), the exhibition reveals a timeless heritage, its history, its traditions and creations while defining the contours of a style, language and visual codes that engage in a continuous  dialogue with the great artistic movements of the times. Some 300 works, jewels, paintings, drawings and objets d’art, illustrate Chaumet’s characteristic “art of jewellery”. Prestigious collections and prominent museums have come together to support the event, namely the Musée du Louvre, the Château de Fontainebleau and the Victoria and Albert Museum of London. Through a selection of works belonging to the Palace Museum, the exhibition offers an exchange between the Chinese and French jewellery arts, imagined around a mutual culture of excellence, to unveil shared inspirations and reciprocal influences.