Chaumet Focus

Parisian jeweller Chaumet will reveal its archives to the public for the first time in its 235-year history, in an epic exhibition set within the enchanting walls of Beijing’s Forbidden City, now called the Palace Museum.

Titled “Imperial Splendours,” the exhibition will open its doors tomorrow, April 11, and will run until July 2. Over 300 articles will be presented, consisting of Chaumet’s heritage and current high jewellery collections, sketches and portraits of their most iconic and prominent clients throughout history donning their pieces.

While most of the pieces were brought in from Chaumet’s archives, a few are on loan from the collections of the Musée du Louvre, Château de Fontainebleau and the Victoria and Albert Museum of London.

Photo: Courtesy of Chaumet

This treasure trove of artifacts hope to give visitors a glimpse not only of Chaumet’s stunning creations and most prominent admirers, but also the level of craftsmanship and exceptional savoir-faire that go into creating them.

Curator of this exhibition is art historian Henri Loyrette, an expert in 19th century art and author of “Chaumet: Parisian Jeweler Since 1780,” a book that chronicles the jeweller’s key creations.

The pieces will be displayed alongside the Palace Museum’s own works of art, offering visitors a rich, multi-cultural experience as they journey through both Chinese and French art and culture.

 Chaumet’s Imperial Splendours exhibition will be open to the public from April 11 - July 2, 2017, in the Wu men Room located in the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City, Beijing.

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