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| A carved sapphire bracelet. |
I haven't been to the Taipei Palace Museum in a while, but I just visited their exhibit called Royal Style, Qing Dynasty and Western Court Jewelry, to which a friend was kind enough to give me a ticket. There were no major pieces such as the Hope or Koh-i-Noor diamonds, but I'll have to say that the display was impressive and literally dazzling. It was well-staged; the walls, floors and showcases were totally black, with tiny spotlights showing the pieces to best advantage.
It was somewhat of an odd pairing. Half of the exhibit was Cartier jewelry and objets d’art from the early 20th century, and the other half was Ching court jewelry from the 18-19th centuries. There didn’t seem to be any scholarly reason for the mixture—I believe that the museum wanted a crowd-pleaser, and the viewers went for the fun of ogling all those diamonds.
Lovers of traditional diamond-encrusted necklaces, tiaras, stomachers, and bracelets could see many fine examples, all so brilliant lit and sparkling that they almost hurt the eyes. I usually think that tiaras look ridiculous, but here I could see their intended purpose and effect.
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| Diamond tiaras were in abundant supply. (Click on pictures to enlarge.) |
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| This tiara was set with aquamarines. |
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| 143-carat emerald as centerpiece. |
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| Rubies, emeralds, and sapphires in the style known as tutti-frutti. |
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| The sapphire in this leopard-brooch seemed a much lighter blue, and was nearly tranparent. |
Jewelry from the 1920’s often took part in the Egyptomania of the period. Some pieces were free interpretations such as these Art Deco masterpieces, while others incorporated actual antiquities, such s these jewel-mounted pieces of Egyptian blue faïence.
There were many small objects, such as picture frames, cigarette and cosmetic cases, and this owl, that you would swear were by Fabergé.
The second half of the exhibit featured Chinese court jewelry. Some of the pieces, such as the hat below which belonged to Chien Long, are the actual ones seen in paintings of the emperors.
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| Royal necklace in Jade, coral and tourmaline. |
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| Emperor Chien Long's sable hat. |
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| In this hairpin, jade and tourmaline flowers are joined by a dragonfly, a butterfly, and a lucky bat. |
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| This hairpin features a figure proffering a lucky peach symbolizing longevity. |
These enameled hand-hairpins had to be my personal favorites on the Chinese side. When they were inserted so that the pins didn’t show, it must have appeared that the rest of the person belonging to the hand was lost and mired in the elaborate coiffure.
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| An assortment of carved gemstone pendants. |
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| The quality of this coral phoenix hairpin is amazing. |
I particularly found interesting the section of the exhibit showing how the jewels were made, which included many original drawings and castings. Unfortunately, these were not illustrated in the catalogue.
These gems date from an age when court life, first nights and elaborate private parties provided the occasions to display wealth and taste in this fashion. Displaying about five hundred of these jewels together allowed the viewer to concentrate on the design, superb craftsmanship, and overall effect of these pieces that so well illustrated jeweler's art over the last several centuries.
Please let me know if you have any favorite pieces, and what you think of the contrast between the Chinese imperial pieces to the French Cartier ones.
All photos courtesy Taipei Palace Museum
Hello Jim:
ReplyDeleteThis is, of course, an amazing collection of, undoubtedly, priceless pieces although, like you, we are a little perplexed that the exhibition should be divided in this way between traditionally styled 'Western' items and those emanating from the Chinese Court.
Your description of the staging of the exhibition sounds to have been most dramatic with the surroundings painted black and only the exhibits themselves illuminated. We do admire the way that so much thought is put into how best to show exhibition pieces these days, and this exhibition, 'Royal Style', is clearly not an exception.
In general we are not particularly interested in jewellery, and expensive jewellery leaves us somewhat cold. Perhaps for that reason we prefer the Chinese pieces as being possibly less ostentatious and if we were to select a favourite, then it would most likely be, as you have done, one of the hairpins.
Hello Jane and Lance, I agree with you that museums of this stature should be displaying more important objects than these. I think it was a money-maker for the museum, with pieces from the Taipei Palace Museum (and also the Shenyang Palace Museum) quickly selected to balance the Cartier Collection.
ReplyDeleteOne oddity that shows that this was not really a serious exhibit was that none of the pieces were numbered, either in the display or in the catalogue.
Please don't worry about my temporary lapse in connoisseurship; I am working on a number of future posts, completely diamond-free.
Just gorgeous -I of course love the vintage Cartier pieces (give me tutti fruitti anyday) but the Chinese Royal Pieces are amazing too -I can't pick just one!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean--it was so difficult choosing which photos to include above--it hurt to leave some of them out!
DeleteHello, Parnassus - I am sorry that the wearing of men's hats (except of course for the ubiquitous baseball cap) is a thing of the past. I like Emperor Chien Long's hat, and I think wearing a finial on the head would do wonders for a lot of people. But if you ask what my favorite item is, I'd go for that beautiful and comparatively subtle jade, tourmaline, and pearl flowered hairpin. And from your other postings, I know that the bat imbues it with extra good luck!
ReplyDeleteHello Mark, I think you could start a new trend reintroducing finialed hats--just stay out of electrical storms.
DeleteI also was amazed by that flower hairpin. The jewel colors which usually seem so bright become strangely muted in this piece, and the pink and green petals lend an oddly surreal look. Thanks for reminding me about the bat--I should create a link to the old post.
A strange juxtapose - early 20th century western jewellery alongside Chinese court jewellery, but some lovely examples from both.
ReplyDeleteI myself love art deco jewellery, not as elaborate as the pieces you have shown. I appreciate the skill that went into making the art deco jewellery which was usually set in platinum, and I also enjoy the way it reflected the architecture of the day.
I will give the tiaras a miss, and take the little art deco stick pin thank you Jim.
Hi Rosemary, They had a few nice Deco pieces that looked like ordinary mortals might wear, but most of the displays were pretty elaborate.
DeleteStrange is a good word for this schizophrenic exhibit. The problem was that after looking at all the cut diamonds and emeralds, some of the Chinese pieces looked a little cheap by comparison, but after examining the Chinese half, some of the French pieces, expensive as they were, started to seem a little flashy and meretricious.
These are gorgeous! Were the Cartier/later peices also owned by the court, and are survivors, or are the entirely unrelated. I remember the Last Emperor and his wife wore western clothing and jewelry, and would not be surprised to learn they and other nobles were great patrons of the houses of Cartier and the like. Reggie
ReplyDeleteHello Reggie, The Cartier pieces are part of the Cartier Collection--I believe that the company collects its own work and loans it for PR/goodwill. Many of these pieces were identified by the original owners' names, mostly European/American--the Duchess of this and the Princess of that. I recall Mary Pickford's cosmetic case, and a presentation box to William K. Vanderbilt.
DeleteDefinitely an odd pairing! While the western pieces are full of bling, I love the Chinese court pieces....especially the hand hairpins. Very interesting. I've never seen anything like them. My grandmother wore her hair in a chignon / bun much of her life, and she had simple pins and picks.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Loi
Hi Loi, Although hands are a common motif in both Eastern and Western jewelry, those pins are 'hands down' in a class of their own. I don't understand how hairstyles are achieved, but the hairpins with silver stems are very weak and could not possibly have supported the hair--they must have been reserved for final decoration. The pins like the coral one, however, were more sturdy and might have had a functional role.
DeleteWow! Amazing stuff. I love the sapphire bracelet. And the hand hairpins! I have been collecting hands for years, and these are some of the best I have ever seen!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHello Elizabeth, I knew those hands would get to you! I forgot to bring my hammer that day, but at least we know what is out there if one searches diligently enough.
Deleteno words to explain the beauty of these precious items and i really loved the leopard jewelry item. they are priceless.
ReplyDeletelovelinks murano glass
Hello Daniel, Thanks for your comment. The show was quite impressive, and I agree that the feeling is difficult to put into words.
ReplyDeleteDearest Parnassus,
ReplyDeleteLove the first bracelet you showed in carved sapphire. Next favorite is the sapphire leopard and that especially looks like a Cartier design. In general such intricate pieces from the far east do far exceed any western work. They were and are so talented with their nimble, small hands... Something to really admire!
Hugs to you,
Mariette
Hello Mariette, That sapphire bracelet was also a favorite of mine, and it looked even better in person. It shared a case with a carved emerald necklace that was perhaps my favorite piece on the Cartier side, but unfortunately the photo didn't do it justice.
DeleteThe hairpins are my favorite, and I find the Chinese Imperial pieces much more interesting than the Cartier. Love your bat post from last year!
ReplyDeleteHello Jen, One problem with the French pieces is that photographs cannot capture all the effects of facets and transparency, and might be more flattering to the Chinese pieces. But again, we're back where we started, so difficult to compare these entirely different items!
DeleteThat's a good point. And I confess that I love the tutti frutti pieces.
DeleteI don't know who made the various pieces but carved gemstone pendants, the tutti-frutti rubies, emeralds and sapphires etc have to have been designed and made in the 1925-39 era. I wish I had some of your images for my Art Deco lectures earlier this year. They are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteHello Hels, Yes, most of the Cartier pieces were from the Art Deco period. The catalog for this exhibit was only about US$10, but except for very cursory English captions, was all in Chinese. However, the Cartier Collection was responsible for that half of the exhibit, and I am willing to bet that if you contacted them you could get high-quality photos of the pieces you are interested in.
DeleteI watched "The White Countess" last night, the Merchant Ivory movie about a Russian emigre in Shanghai in the late 1930s prior to the Japanese invasion, so the Chinese pieces are relevant to that period, (and indeed the Cartier pieces would have been aswell, but sadly not for the countess or her fellow countrywomen, who were impecunious after therir escape from Russia).
ReplyDeleteHello Columnist, I just read the synopsis of The White Countess, and I guess if those Russian émigrés had been able to take their jewels with them, then there would have been no story. Shanghai in that period certainly had an exotic, cosmopolitan atmosphere that is still tremendously appealing.
DeleteWhilst you might expect from Merchant Ivory the beautiful cinematography, the screenplay was a bit dull. If you're content with just the former, do watch it otherwise there are other things to keep you amused. I did like their work so much, but it is of course sad that Ishmail Merchant died in 2005, and of course Natasha Richardson subsequently, but a good legacy that she performed with her other family members, Vanessa, and Lynn Redgrave.
DeleteHello Parnassus,
ReplyDeleteHere I am wandering in late, being new to the blogging world and still exploring the wonderful blogs that there are.
I like your blog and the interesting pieces that you write about.
Given a choice I would take the little owl. Especially if it really was Fabergé. Is it made of alabaster?
Bye for now,
Kirk
Hello Kirk, It's never too late, and I appreciate your comment. The owl was made of the gem agate, which is harder and shiner than alabaster. It is by Cartier; it's exquisite quality just reminded me of the Fabergé stone animals.
Delete--Parnassus
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