Castelbajac Stages Mellerio
It all started with a bracelet. Upon learning that his grandmother Marguerite's piece of jewelry, an item once acquired by Marie-Antoinette from the young Jean-Baptiste Mellerio at the gates of Versailles, had found its way back into the house's archives, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac stepped through the door at 9 Rue de la Paix.
From this visit emerged a meeting with Laure-Isabelle Mellerio, the 14th generation at the helm of the oldest family-owned jewelry house in Europe, founded in 1613 . Two worlds, two creators, but a shared passion for color and history, who chose to connect their lineages for a joint project. From their dialogue emerged "Joyous Jewels", a monumental tarpaulin that now adorns the facade of the boutique during its renovation. The artwork is a theater curtain in vibrant hues that transforms the Haussmannian building into an Italian palace, a nod to the transalpine origins of the Mellerio dynasty. /public-objects/4feb8f74-d3c2-43a3-8a22-18c3161199d6-28663030-c373-4253-a178-8dfda6f983be-Mellerio%20x%20Castelbajac%208.webp Image sélectionnée Depicted on the canvas are eight women who have made their mark on the house's history, all adorned with jewels. Marie Antoinette, of course, but also Empress Joséphine with her coral set, Empress Eugénie and her Peacock Feather brooch, Queen Margherita of Italy crowned with her wild rose and laurel branch tiara, Princess Youssoupoff and her emerald bodice front, and even Marie de Medici, who granted the Mellerios the privilege of trading within the kingdom. All these women surround Laure-Isabelle Mellerio, the central figure of this feminine galaxy, adorned with the Jardin des Rêves set. Each is sketched by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac in his own distinctive pop style, and enhanced with volumetrically drawn jewels, as if, in the artist's words, the stones and colors were "taking power over time ". Until September, Rue de la Paix thus offers this "joyous " spectacle to the world. /public-objects/88adcad4-f7b4-481f-929c-a10873b143fc-a6efd216-1644-4208-b50b-4a35c5da7935-DESSIN%20JCC%209%20MARS%20MELLERIO_.webp Image sélectionnée