300 Imperial Treasures on Exhibit at the Palace Museum

The Forbidden City is no stranger to historical treasures, having been home to 24 Chinese emperors throughout the ages, but this summer a new exhibition brings a number of collections together from overseas to this unique location. Organized by the French heritage brand Chaumet (chaumet.com), Imperial Splendours: The Art of Jewellery since the 18th Century showcases over 300 treasures at Beijing’s Palace Museum until July 2.

Assembled from 17 museums, these 300 pieces of jewelry, paintings, drawings, silverware, and other artifacts span the history of France from 1644 to 1912. “The jewellery in this exhibition bears witness to the most splendid royal coronations in French history, and the wedding of Napoleon and his empress Joséphine,” the Forbidden City’s press release reads. “The exhibition is a rare opportunity to see pieces that have never been shown in public, and many of the exhibits have never left France before,” CNN reports, such as Napoleon's impressive gem-set golden coronation sword, which was co-created by Chaumet founder Marie-Étienne Nitot in 1802.

Napoleon brought this consular sword to his coronation in 1804

Other highlights include the ruby and diamond parures belonging to Empress Marie-Louise (dated 1811), the Grand Duchess Stephanie of Baden's necklace and earrings from the Victoria and Albert Museum (dated 1806), and gold micro-mosaics bordered with blue glass worn by Empress Marie-Louise hailing from the Louvre (dated 1810).

Twenty-two imperial gems from the Palace Museum are also on display, paired with 22 creations by Chaumet, such as a Qing Dynasty folding fan with Chinese ornamentation (dated 1830) and a Qing Dynasty hairpin belonging to Baronness Gourgaud made of platinum, pearl, and diamonds (dated 1921).

Qing dynasty double dragon hair pin

Henri Lorette, former president of the Louvre and Orsay Museum, who curated this exhibition, previously said about the collection, “I realized when I was at the Louvre that there has always been a close link between Chaumet and the museum. Chaumet is a Maison that has, particularly during the Empire period, accompanied the history of France. This imperial legitimacy is a good reason in itself to justify an exhibition in the Palace Museum, [which] immediately gave a favorable reply to our project request, namely because of the historic dimension, and judged the selection of works as being worthy of being shown alongside their collections. The display that we conceived in partnership, where French and Chinese creations are placed side by side, illustrates the kinship that exists between our two histories.”

The exhibition can be found at Tower Gallery of the Meridian Gate at the Forbidden City until July 2, 8.30am-5pm (closed Mondays). Tickets are RMB 60.

Photos: imperialsplendours.dpm.org.cn, Chaumet.com，luxurialifestyle.com

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