THE CARTIER COLLECTION

2009, BEIJING

CARTIER TREASURES

King of Jewellers, Jewellers to Kings Palace Museum, Meridian Gate Gallery

September 5 - November 22, 2009

The Palace Museum in Beijing, China has worked with Cartier to organize the “Cartier Treasures: King of Jewelers, Jewelers to Kings” exhibition.Featuring precious antiques on an unprecedented scale, the exhibition assembled the essences of the East and West, demonstrating the museum’s dedication to world art. More than 350 items, including archives dating from the founding of Cartier to its creations from the 1970s, were unveiled. Partly dedicated to royal jewels, the exhibition was housed in China’s former Imperial Palace whose renovation won the Inaugural Heritage Award Jury Commendation for Innovation by UNESCO. The exhibition was illustrated by historical documents relating to European royal courts, which earned Cartier its reputation as the “Jeweler of Kings and King of Jewelers”, thanks to King Edward VII of England.

Moreover, some of the items selected highlighted the Chinese influence on Cartier creations: lacquer-ware inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ancient carved and engraved pieces of jade, and divinities and fantastic animals created by the jeweler’s hand. Such creations bear witness to the bonds that have united Cartier with the Far East since the beginning of the 20th century. The distinctive creativity, style and expertise of the jeweler were illustrated by a selection of drawings and archive documents, together with a set of rarely displayed plaster casts from the Cartier archives.

The related experts of Palace Museum have celebrated the cultural and artistic aspects of Cartier, as well as its contribution to the heritage of the decorative arts.