Catch L’ÉCOLE’s Gold and Treasures 3000 Years of Chinese Ornaments Exhibition Before it Closes
Featuring 100 ancient Chinese artefacts, L’ÉCOLE Middle East’s summer exhibition explores our fascination with gleaming gold…
“Known, loved, sought after, coveted, amassed, envied, disputed, and used by many civilisations since man has mastered the secrets of metals, gold has always been one of the most precious and symbolic materials – a sign of values and an instrument of pleasures,” says Olivier Segura, co-curator of the Gold and Treasures 3000 Years of Chinese Ornaments exhibition, an extraordinary feat presented at L’ÉCOLE Middle East School of Jewellery Arts this summer, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Open until August 10, this coming week is the last chance to discover its captivating array of golden treasures from the Mengdiexuan Collection, one of the most prestigious private art collections in Hong Kong. In keeping with L’ÉCOLE’s mantra, “Discover, wonder, learn,” the exhibition explores our fascination with the precious metal over thousands of years, showcasing three millennia of Chinese goldsmithing across 100 elegant artefacts.
“More than its colour and its brilliance, its powerful and almost irresistible fascination, it is the unique properties of gold that have made it the favourite metal of man to adorn their gods.”
Olivier Segura, managing director of L’ÉCOLE Asia-Pacific and co-curator of the exhibition
Hair ornaments in Imperial China are a central pillar of the collection, adorned with gilded silver, kingfisher feathers, pearls and gemstones that gleam from shadowy displays. Guests can learn how these lustrous treasures would have been worn with ribbons and fresh flowers to create striking hairstyles, and discover the ancient symbolism of their floral, phoenix and dragon motifs within Chinese mythology. Belt ornaments, bangles, earrings and garment hooks continue the opulence, alongside crystals and nuggets from the L’ÉCOLE collection, which illustrate how gold appears in its raw form.
“Through our collection of gold ornaments, we learn more about the historical splendour of Chinese material culture, which enriches our experience of academic pursuits and art appreciation,” write Betty Lo and Kenneth Chau in the exhibition’s preface, who are the collectors behind the treasure trove. The couple has held over 16 Mengdiexuan exhibitions in the last thirty years, and are keen to share their passion with the world. “Our collecting philosophy is to acquire knowledge through an understanding of the cultural and historic legacy of the pieces in our collection, and, in due course, to share with scholars and people with a common interest in the arts.”
The ‘L’ÉCOLE Middle East School of Jewellery Arts was opened in Dubai earlier this year, inaugurated on April 25 by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Dubai Executive Council member.
Promoting jewellery artistry to total beginners, industry insiders and connoisseurs alike, the school offers a series of captivating jewellery courses to educate and inspire – simply choose the most scintillating to you.
Gold and Treasures 3000 Years of Chinese Ornaments is open free of charge to the public until August 10 at L’ÉCOLE Middle East, Dubai Design District, Building 10.
Find out more at www.lecolevancleefarpels.com
Imagery Supplied
