Scholarship Laureats 2024

What brought you to this field of study?

Jewelry and its representations have always interested me. But it was thanks to the painting Portrait of Young Woman with Unicorn by Raphael in the Borghese Gallery, which I was fortunate enough to see a few years ago, that I considered studying jewelry in painting for the first time. I had so many questions about the necklace in that painting that I realized I wanted to specialize in the representation of jewelry in art.

What interests you about this area?

I particularly enjoy the variety of my chosen subject matter. My goal is to explore the role of jewelry in all of John Singer Sargent’s paintings and not just in his most famous portraits. Although his production is relatively well known, it is very varied and some of his works have been little studied. I would like to shine a light on these lesser-known works and draw attention to the fact that jewelry is a major pillar in his artistic production.

What is your favorite jewelry piece?

It’s almost impossible to choose just one! In painting, it would be the necklace in Raphael’s Portrait of Young Woman with Unicorn for the reasons mentioned above. In terms of a real or existing jewelry item, I have a necklace I bought during a wonderful university trip to Florence last year. While it has no financial value whatsoever, it has great sentimental value. It reminds me of the fantastic friends I made there, the fun we had, and the magical moments spent in rainy Italy!

What brought you to this field of study?

I had initially considered working on neo-medieval, precious objects, but as I pursued my research, I was surprised to find that jewelry, although essential in the imagination of that period, had been much less studied. I was fascinated by this fact, especially since the 19th century practically marked the birth of the main jewelry houses that would define the styles and know-how that are still admired today. Specializing in this period, I wanted to understand how these creations, at once luxurious and emblematic, reflect the enthusiasm for the Middle Ages (and its reception), while assimilating the economic, social, and cultural dynamics of their time. This theme, combining art, history, symbolism, and techniques, was the perfect way for me to marry my interests and my research.

What interests you about this area?

My passion for the 19th century, a time of “rediscovery” of the Middle Ages, has led me to explore an often-neglected field like jewelry, unlike literature and painting. As a student of art history, I particularly appreciate how jewelry allows us to go beyond art, despite its fascinating beauty, to explore broader dynamics, like economics, fashion, or society. Studying jewelry offers a unique opportunity to combine multidisciplinary approaches, highlighting their role at the heart of the cultural transformations of this period.

What is your favorite jewelry piece?

Princess Blanche’s Crown (c. 1370-1380), on display in the treasury of the Munich Residence, the former royal palace of the Wittelsbachs, where it has been preserved since 1782. My interest in Princess Blanche’s Crown stems from my admiration for decorative exuberance in jewelry in general. The opulence of the crown’s materials—gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, enamel, and pearls—testifies to the remarkable craftsmanship of medieval times. Beyond its purely visual aspect, in my opinion, this crown has considerable historical significance. As one of the oldest English royal crowns, more than likely dating from 1370-1380, it is a privileged witness to the splendor and refinement of medieval European courts. It embodies both power and beauty, two inseparable attributes of royalty at that time.

What brought you to this field of study?

The choice of this topic came about by chance. I knew that I wanted to focus on the decorative arts as I love studying objects and their history. It was only after a course on Art Nouveau jewelry in the third year of my degree that I began to consider this as a possible area of study. I discussed it with my thesis director, who advised me to take a look at the exhibition A New Art - Metamorphoses of Jewelry (1880-1914) held at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts in 2023, which had a section exploring the theme of the seabed in jewelry. From there, it was an obvious choice.

What interests you about this area?

This subject is especially interesting because it touches on a variety of different areas. Science obviously played a major role in the creation of such an unprecedented iconographic repertoire with the birth of oceanography, but there is also a sociological aspect. This theme perfectly represents the ambiguity of humankind at the end of the century, wavering between fascination and fear regarding a changing, unpredictable society, just like the sea. As a result, there is a great variety of works within the same subject, between naturalism and fantasy, and no two jewelry items are alike. This unbridled creativity of artists influenced by the world around them is truly fascinating.

What is your favorite jewelry piece?

Although my favorite jewelry pieces are obviously the ones given to me by my family, my first real jewelry crush was for the set with floral motifs worn by Audrey Hepburn in the film Roman Holiday. Even as a little girl, I watched this film on repeat. I was entranced by Audrey Hepburn’s natural elegance and by this set, comprising a tiara, a pair of earrings, and a diamond necklace, which literally dazzled on screen.

What brought you to this field of study?

The theme of jewelry has always fascinated me, particularly in terms of its symbolism and the emotional attachment it can foster. My interest in this field of study stems from a course on medieval goldsmithery, where the different types of jewelry and the stones used immediately captivated me. Moreover, as I have a special fondness for painting, I found the desire to establish a link between these two fields a natural progression.

What interests you about this area?

What I like most about this topic is the ability to cross-reference archaeological sources with painting. It is absolutely fascinating to see how the study of painting is essential to bearing witness to jewels that have since disappeared. In addition, studying such objects, often made with precious materials and remarkably beautiful, is both an enriching and enjoyable experience. It is also exciting to explore whether a correlation exists between archaeological discoveries and pictorial representations.

What is your favorite jewelry piece?

I love rings. I grew up seeing my mother wearing lots of rings, which surely fueled my fascination for them. The ring is also an item of jewelry that can be easily seen and admired when worn, which reinforces its appeal. I have a particular penchant for medieval rings. I love their refined shapes, discreet decorations, sometimes with ornamental floral motifs (rinceaux), and the importance given to the stone, which is usually highlighted with great simplicity. For me, these rings have a timeless aesthetic that never ceases to inspire.

What brought you to this field of study?

During my undergraduate degree, I worked with François Planet, curator of the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, who introduced me to glyptics and subsequently, jewelry. I was immediately fascinated by these engraved objects, both for their aesthetic and historical aspects. They are a veritable source of information if we examine the context of their creation, and the iconographic, material, and formal choices behind their fabrication. I went on to study and meet other professionals working with antique jewelry, this time from the art market, such as Hadrien Rambach. Last but not least, I was able to follow a course in gemology, which in addition to teaching me about the scientific and material skills inherent in jewelry-making, allowed me to develop my sense of observation and aesthetic sensitivity.

What interests you about this area?

The neo-Byzantine is a rather neglected perspective when we look at the productions of the 19th century, given that neo-Gothic, eclectic, and even archaeological tastes marked this period. Lost among these different styles, I want to focus on Byzantine taste and its reception in 19th century societies, while also exploring the sociological aspect of the world of jewelry, which is often a poorly researched area.

What is your favorite jewelry piece?

One of my favorite pieces of jewelry, or at least the one that left the biggest impression on me, is a Roman cameo in chalcedony, coming from the Marlborough Collection, preserved at the Getty Museum (inv. no. 2001.28.11). The cameo represents a hand pinching an earlobe. I was immediately intrigued by this motif that has little meaning in our own epoch. However, in the 5th century, this gesture was a way of requesting attention from a loved one. I like the story surrounding this agate, which despite the centuries, fosters a sense of proximity to the people and the intention behind it.

What brought you to this field of study?

My interest in jewelry lies in its dual nature: it is both a work of art and a technical feat. Jewelry’s ability to reflect social, artistic, and technological developments has always been a source of fascination to me. It is this symbolic and aesthetic wealth that led me to want to carry out research in this specific field, in order to explore the role of jewelry in the decorative arts in greater depth, and its impact on the history of art and museology, in particular.

What interests you about this area?

What interests me about this topic is understanding how the staging of jewelry at the 1925 World Fair influenced the perception of jewelry items, transforming them from ornamental objects to veritable works of art. Analyzing the museological strategies used allows us to understand just how the World Fair contributed to redefining jewelry within the framework of the decorative arts, while reflecting the aesthetic and cultural issues of the day. This subject offers a unique opportunity to explore the role of presentation in the construction of the cultural and aesthetic value of an art object.

What is your favorite jewelry piece?

It’s difficult to choose just one piece of jewelry from among my favorites, but if I had to, it would be the Zip necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels. Inspired by an industrial zip, this piece combines innovation and timeless elegance. Its versatility, allowing it to be worn as a necklace or a bracelet, particularly appeals to me and its ingenious and refined mechanism reflects the unique savoir-faire of the Maison. The fluid lines and precious stones offer the perfect harmony between modernity and sophistication. This combination of creative audacity, versatility, and artisanal expertise makes it a truly inspiring piece.

What brought you to this field of study?

During the third year of my degree, I took Ms. Czerniak’s course on illumination and goldsmithery. This module was key as it allowed me to discover a passion for medieval jewelry from the late Middle Ages. I had always been interested in precious stones and their aesthetic, but medieval beliefs, whether religious or secular, attributed specific virtues to stones, something that increasingly fueled my curiosity. At this time in history, jewelry had both an ornamental and symbolic role.

What interests you about this area?

What I particularly like about this subject matter is the sense of fascination generated by the beauty of the precious stones set into a range of jewelry. The meticulousness of the craftsmen of this period is remarkable, with each detail testifying to an exceptional level of expertise. The work of the goldsmith, for example, executed with an almost magical precision, endows the pieces with a rare elegance. The finesse of the lines and curves illustrates both the virtuosity and creativity of medieval creators. Moreover, these jewelry items have a symbolic intention, expressing an act of love, friendship, or chivalry. For example, a 14th-century ring gifted by King Edward III to Jacob Van Artevelde bears the following inscription: “An endless loyalty”. This poetic message cemented a bond of friendship. Through my daily literary and archaeological research, I am lucky enough to be immersed in a journey of aesthetics and pure poetry.

What is your favorite jewelry piece?

The challenge when it comes to studying such exquisite objects is that you are constantly adding to the list of jewels that could make it to your wish list. It would be difficult to pinpoint just a single jewelry item, because I discover new ones every day, with each one surpassing the last in terms of admiration. The amazing new jewel I discovered yesterday becomes a new reference, in turn replaced by other equally fascinating discoveries. It would be more accurate to say that I have a mental collection of favorite jewelry items that is constantly growing.