Title: Art Nouveau Jewellery: When Japanese Art Came to Europe

Speakers: Gilles Zalulyan and Mathilde Rondouin

Date: Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

Time: 7-8 pm

Language: English

Register at https://bit.ly/ArtNouveauJewelleryConversation

 

Precious Japanese adornments and artefacts such as kimonos, yukata, katanas, netsuke and maki-e hairpins had remained unheard of in Europe until the mid-19th century and the start of what was called the Meiji Era, translated into the “Age of Enlightenment” in Japan.

 

When they eventually landed on European shores, those Japanese treasures provoked a stylistic tsunami. Much previously unknown craftsmanship and materials - horn, lacquer, mixed metals, ivory, silk - influenced every layer of creations, especially jewellery. This allowed the birth of one of the most revolutionary artistic movements, The Art Nouveau or “New Art”. European jewellers, glass makers, silversmiths and enamellers started to emulate Japanese art, trying on techniques they had never seen before...

 

This conversation - Art Nouveau Jewellery: When Japonisme Came to Europe - offers a historic journey through the 1900s in order to capture the essence of Japonisme and its influence on jewellery creations.