Chaumet Celebrates the Art of Drawing

DRAWING ROOM:Chaumet is celebrating the artistry of its jewelry design process by staging two exhibitions of gouaché technical drawings and partnering with the Paris School of Fine Arts.

The jewelry house is opening its gilded reception rooms on Place Vendôme for a show of sketches with an architectural theme, combining works from its archive of 80,000 drawings with sketches by art students and contemporary designs from its creative studio, led by Claire Dévé-Rakoff.

The exhibition can be viewed by appointment until March 30. This comes on the heels of a separate show at the Salon du Dessin, which ended on Monday, focused on drawings of tiaras, a signature of the house ever since Napoléon I and Empress Joséphine were its top customers.

Chaumet showcased a selection of 38 gouachés alongside tiara maquettes made of painted nickel silver, in addition to a selection of negatives on glass.

Drawings from Chaumet’s archives. Courtesy

In addition, the house has asked students and recent graduates of the Paris School of Fine Arts to submit sketches inspired by elements of ancient or contemporary architecture. The winning works will be added to Chaumet’s collection and may inspire future high jewelry creations, the house said.

Chaumet will also help the school to showcase its own collection by underwriting the creation of a new space for exhibiting drawings.

With influences ranging from the 18^th century to kinetic art, Chaumet’s technical drawings represent the first stage in the jewelry design process, and are often adjusted to fit the tastes of customers and the availability of precious stones.

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