#prestigeinsight | JULY 2019 PRESTIGE 157
The detailing on an
Imperial robe from
the Qing Dynasty
I
n 1909, Louis Cartier sent one of his best salesmen, Jules Glaenzer,
to China to assess its commercial potential. In addition to the
information he gleaned, Glaenzer brought back gems and antique
jewellery pieces that provided a new source of inspiration for the
French jeweller’s creative repertoire, helping to expand a range that
already included a few Chinese‑themed pieces, such as a bottle
inspired by a carved-jade Chinese snuff box sold to American
banker John Pierpont Morgan in 1904.
By the 1920s, Cartier was producing a large number of jewels,
timepieces and precious accessories influenced by Chinese art and
decorative techniques. Along with dragons, which appear on numerous pieces, there
were also more subtle Chinese references such as the Chinese character for longevity
(“shou”), which appeared on jade‑and‑red‑enamel earrings made in 1926, and a small
red inkwell that belonged to American socialite Mona von Bismarck.
The significant cultural connections the celebrated French jeweller has with
China is highlighted in a new exhibition at Beijing’s Palace Museum’s newly renovated
Meridian Gate. Running until Jul 31, Beyond Boundaries: Cartier and The Palace Museum
Craftsmanship and Restoration Exhibition unfolds around three universes – Chinese
Inspirations, Symbols Of Power and Time Memories – and looks at the cross‑cultural
influence European travellers, such as Jesuit painters like Giuseppe Castiglione, or the
various clockmakers who visited the country, had on the Chinese imperial court, with
more than 800 pieces dating from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) onwards.
“This encounter and dialogue between the Forbidden City and Cartier take us
across time and space. While fully demonstrating the artistic excellence of Cartier
and the imperial Qing Dynasty, the exhibition also reinterprets the profound cultural
and historical implications of Chinese and Western treasures,” says Shan Jixiang, who
oversaw the exhibition as director and curator of the Palace Museum before his
retirement in April.Left: Oei Hui-lan in flapper style
Below: This bird brooch from the
Cartier Collection, circa 1948, was
inspired by the phoenix, a Chinese
symbol of peace and prosperity that is
also seen on the Imperial robes from
the Palace Museum collections