When in Paris, or should we say, if you’re in Paris between now and January 2016, take a bucolic stroll (promenade bucolique) through the history of a high-end Parisian jeweler whose fate has closely echoed that of France since its inception.
It was the wedding of Napoleon to Josephine which cemented Chaumet as Europe’s most illustrious jewellery house. Quite opportunely for the founder and official jeweler to the Crown, Marie-Etienne Nitot, Napoleon wanted to restore France to its former glory.
Visitors are welcome to experience Chaumet’s rich history at an exhibition entitled “Promenade Bucolique.” in a pop-up museum on Place Vendôme, in the heart of Chaumet’s historic store. The exhibit spotlights the inspiration the jewellery house has always drawn from naturalism, in a subtle dialogue between past collections and contemporary designs.
Visitors are able to retrace Chaumet’s history through a selection of pieces, from the Romantic period to the 1980s. From initial sketches to photographs taken to immortalize the finished piece, the immersion into Chaumet’s design process is complete. Naturalist-themed pieces convey the grace of wild elements tamed by precious materials, such as the stalks of wheat that decorate the neoclassical tiara made by the jeweller for Empress Marie-Louise.
The exhibition runs until January 30, 2016, in the Chaumet store on Place Vendôme. For more information visit Chaumet.
-Image and Video Courtesy Chaumet
