Chaumet Drawing from Nature

Gaëlle Rio, Marc Jeanson

ISBN 10: 0500023816 / ISBN 13: 9780500023815

Published by Thames and Hudson Ltd, GB, 2023

About this Item

A dazzling celebration of the nature-themed drawings created by Parisian high-jewelry house Chaumet from the 18th century to today. Since the founding of the Maison Chaumet in Paris in 1780, each generation of its jewellers has looked to the natural world for inspiration, dreaming up ruby-encrusted grapevines, delicate laurel-wreath tiaras, striking diamond starbursts and a beguiling array of jewelled animals - from birds and butterflies to snakes, lions and even bats - that embodied the spirit of the age. As tools for researching and developing ideas, drawings are an essential first step in the creation of jewellery pieces and reveal little-known aspects of the design process. These beautiful and inventive drawings from the Chaumet archives, many published here for the first time, are presented in thematic chapters (Flowers, Trees and Plants, Bestiary, Universe), while essays by curator Gaëlle Rio offer a concise art-historical perspective. A visually fascinating compendium, this unique book will delight all lovers of jewelry, art and nature.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780500023815

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Chaumet Drawing from Nature
• Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd, GB
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0500023816
• ISBN 13: 9780500023815
• Binding: Hardback
• Edition: 1st.
• Condition: New
• Dimensions: 24.38W x 3.3H x 32.26D centimeters 24.38 centimeters width by 3.3 centimeters height by 32.26 centimeters depth
• Weight: 1850 grams

About this title

Synopsis

A stunning celebration of the ravishing nature-themed drawings created by Parisian high jewelry house Chaumet from the eighteenth century to today.

One of the most storied high jewelry houses in Paris, Chaumet has been entwined with the history of France since its founding in 1780. Appointed official jeweler to Empress Joséphine, the house has passed down its unique savoir-faire for almost 240 years. Each generation of Chaumet jewelers has looked to the natural world as a key source of inspiration, dreaming up ruby orchids, delicate laurel wreath tiaras, striking diamond starbursts, and a beguiling array of animals―from birds and butterflies to snakes and octopuses―on necklaces, brooches, and headpieces.

Drawings were used not only to research and develop ideas, revealing little-known aspects of the creative process of jewelry design, but also to present fully conceptualized bespoke pieces to clients, tempting them to place an order. These beautiful and inventive drawings―many of which are published here for the first time―are presented in thematic chapters (“Flowers,” “Trees and Plants,” “Bestiary,” and “Universe”), while essays by curator Gaëlle Rio offer a concise art-historical perspective.

A visually fascinating compendium, Chaumet: Drawing from Nature will delight all lovers of jewelry, art, and nature.

300 color illustrations

About the Authors

Gaëlle Rio is Director of the Musée de la Vie Romantique in Paris. She specializes in nineteenth-century art and in her previous position at the Petit Palais curated a number of exhibitions, including “Jewelry from the Petit Palais”; “The Art of Pastel, from Degas to Redon”; and “Paris 1900.”

Marc Jeanson is former director of the National Herbarium at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris. He is currently the Botanical Director of the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech, Morocco.