From December 1st 2022 to April 14th 2023, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts presents an exhibition showcasing over three thousand years of goldsmithing work in China, through a selection of masterpieces from the Mengdiexuan Collection.
A Taoist text from the Han dynasty (206 BCE.–220 CE) reveals the importance of gold during that era: “Gold is the most valuable thing in all the world because it is immortal and never gets rotten. Alchemists eat it, and they enjoy longevity.” (Wei Boyang, alchemist). Since the 5th millennium BCE, gold has held a power of fascination and has been used by talented craftsmen to create jewelry and ornaments with a strong symbolic value.
The two exhibition curators, Valentina Bruccoleri, PhD in Chinese Art History, and Olivier Segura, Gemologist and Scientific Director at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, will embark us on a journey to the Chinese Empire through Central Asia, the Eurasian Steppes, Mongolia and the Himalayas, to discover ancestral skills that still fascinate us today.
This guided tour will be broadcast live from the “Gold and Treasures” exhibition at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts in Paris.
Speakers
Valentina Bruccoleri
PhD in Chinese Art History
&
Olivier Segura
Gemologist, Scientific Director of L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts and co-curator of the exhibition
Thursday, December 15th at 09:00pm (Japan Time)
Conference given in English
Simultaneous translations in
Japanese, Cantoneseand Mandarin availableREGISTER
Photo: Hairpin with phoenix, Gold, Song dynasty, 960–1279, Mengdiexuan Collection, Photo Picspark Co