Cartier royal

The title says it all. A single word: “Cartier”. Established in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century, the jeweler’s name resonates as a byword for elegance and style à la française. The Cartier odyssey, both commercial and aesthetic, is a procession of celebrities and royal patrons. All have dazzled in jewelry whose cultural import is sufficiently great to warrant a showcase at the English capital’s largest museum of applied and decorative arts. The brevity of the title belies the grandeur of the exhibition itself: more than 350 objects including a substantial number of tiaras worn at the royal courts of Europe, important loans from the Royal Trust Collection and the Al Thani Collection, rarely seen iconic jewels, some shown in public for the first time, together with documents such as sketches by Frederick Mew: the designer of the legendary Williamson brooch – also included in the show – which Queen Elizabeth II wore on numerous occasions, including for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Through these many splendors, co-curators Helen Molesworth and Rachel Garrahan examine the influences and principles from which Cartier’s instantly recognizable style emerged. Principles such as a curiosity for cultures across the globe and a thirst for innovation, illustrated by the pioneering use of platinum. /public-objects/d0ee9a16-53f8-4ba4-8209-96ba39b3e3e7-e4d3bc1a-490d-4b9a-9373-7d6418872263-Scroll-tiara%2C-Cartier-Paris%2C-commissioned-for-the-Countess-of-Essex-in-1902.-Diamonds%2C-silver-and-gold.webp Image sélectionnée