From June 16, 2022 to September 4, 2022, the French high-end jewelry brand CHAUMET, known as the "Master of the Crown", held an event entitled Botanical Observing Beauty at the Beaux-Arts de Paris. Art Exhibition. Initiated by Chaumet Paris, the exhibition is joined by more than 70 museums including The Orsay and Louvre museums, The Museum of Natural History, L'Institut de France, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. A top museum and collection institution provided about 400 works of art for this exhibition.

Le Printemps, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1573

Under the guidance of the curator, botanist Marc Jeanson, we, together with Chaumet Paris, appreciate and relive the recognizable "botanist" observation from a naturalistic perspective. Those artistic creations in the art world that use the same "botanist perspective" as Chaumet. In this tribute to "plants", we can not only see nearly a hundred antiques from Chaumet, but also see Arcinboldo's masterpieces - Le Printemps and L'Ete, as well as Monet's " Water Lilies" and "Iris". Through the prism of "Thousands of Plants", we can refocus, re-examine the plants around us, and reopen a close relationship with nature.

Trefoil crown with Countess Mountbatten, 1934

Chaumet's love for nature can be traced back to the very beginning of the brand, when its founder, Marie-Etienne Nitot, was once known as the “naturalistic jeweler”. Botanical-themed jewelry, popular in the 19th century, reached its peak during the Napoleonic era. The Crèvecœur tiara, designed by François-Regnault Nitot, the second generation of Chaumet, for Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais, is a typical example. This tiara, created in 1811, is inspired by Queen Josephine's favorite ear of wheat, showing the graceful movement of the ear of wheat in the breeze. It is a tribute to the aesthetics of ancient Greece, as well as a symbol and blessing for the goddess of harvest. Also by François Regnault Nitot is the Leuchtenberg tiara, which was created in 1830 for the Leuchtenberg family, a direct descendant of Empress Josephine. Year to 1840. It continues the naturalistic style of Chaumet Paris, and there is a hidden ingenuity in the flower composed of 698 diamonds and 32 emeralds: the crown can be divided into 8 parts such as hair accessories and brooches, in addition to the delicate "convertible" In addition to “design”, Chaumet Paris also added a trembling gemstone setting technique to this work, making the whole work lifelike. Another piece that uses the trembling gem-setting technique is the Hydrangea bouquet brooch made by Chaumet for the daughter of Queen Josephine. As inspiration, the hydrangea flower inlaid with diamonds and small rubies is lifelike, and with the placement of "vibrating jewels", the whole flower will sway slightly with the wearer's movements, just like a hydrangea in the wind.

Trefoil crown with Countess Mountbatten, 1934

If Chaumet Paris in the 19th century opened its own era of crowns, then the Fuchsias tiara created in 1919 is a masterpiece of its true "master crown". The Fuchsias tiara, the full name of The Bourbon Parme tiara, is the fourth generation descendant of Chaumet in Paris, Joseph Chaumet, the daughter of the Duke of Dudeville, Hedwig and Bourbon Parme Designed for the wedding of Prince Elma. As the world's first crown made of platinum, it not only continues Chaumet's interpretation of the beauty of nature, but also vividly interprets many wonderful techniques such as "illusion painting". The drop-shaped center diamond made of two round brilliant-cut diamonds is held in the air by a very slender platinum bracket, as if a golden bell flower is covered with branches, with the wearer's footsteps trembling slightly, like a gentle breeze. Today, this crown has become the essence and symbol of the Chaumet brand.

Crown of Leuchtenberg, 1830

The Reed brooch, created in 1893, also by Joseph Chaumet, is now in the private collection of the Princess of Hanover (Princess Caroline, daughter of the Prince of Monaco). At No. 12 Place Vendôme at the end of the 19th century, designers were extremely fond of the shape of the reed. They are fascinated by its slender figure and changeable posture, and admire its ability to withstand strong winds and thrive. With this characteristic, the reed has also become a symbol of "power" in French culture. The French writer Jean de La Fontaine wrote it into the poem "The Oak and the Reed" as early as 1688 to describe the soft and not easily broken properties of reeds.

Crown of Fuchsias/ The Bourbon Parme, 1919

In addition, plants with blessings such as ivy, grape leaves and clover are also the jewelry theme that Chaumet Paris is keen on. The Empress Eugenie’s Trefoil brooch, designed for Empress Eugenie de Montijo, is one of them. The carefully depicted enamel leaf veins make the original simple shape more three-dimensional and more visual. Also based on clover is the Tiara with trefoils, designed in 1934 for the last governor of India, Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma. The clover pattern, the nobility is looming in the exotic style. It is a symbol of Chaumet's high level of craftsmanship and a symbol of the wearer's supreme power and status.

Bunch of grapes necklace, 1850

For two and a half centuries, Chaumet observed nature with the meticulous and prudent eyes of a botanist, and painted it with the poetic and delicate brushstrokes of a painter. The redundancy and stereotyped gorgeousness of traditional jewelry gradually fade away, replaced by the pursuit of nature and the true meaning of life. As Jean-Marc Mansvelt, president of Chaumet, said: "Chumey Paris hopes to stand on a higher level, open up an ecological space that is sufficiently elegant and free in spirit, and integrate science, art, and humanities. Views from different fields, regroup to discover the resonance between Chaumet and other disciplines and art forms.”

Crown of Bunch of grapes, 1825

Reed Brooch, 1893

Article Source:艺术与设计

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