Cartier treasures

       This is probably what the House of Cartier wanted to convey when it started building up its treasure collection in 1973. Through direct purchases from private owners and public auctions, the collection now comprises more than 1,360 masterpieces that aptly chronicle the history of jewellery designs and reflect some of the social changes in the 19th and 20th centuries, including women's emancipation.
       The treasures in the Cartier Collection have been exhibited in various worldrenowned museums such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the British Museum in London, the Kremlin Museum in Moscow and the National Museum in Tokyo. The grandest one yet is now being held at the prestigious Palace Museum in China's Forbidden City.
       Running until November 22, the exhibition is divided into four zones to cover Cartier's 160 years of artistic achievements as one of the world's leaders in jewellery and watchmaking arts.
       The "Contribution to the European Royal Courts and the High Society"section features exquisite jewellery pieces specially crafted for royal and noble courts. Jeweller Louis Cartier's pioneer use of platinum at the turn of the century led to the creation of the ornate "Garland Style" reminiscent of the Louis XVI era.Reflecting the change of time, the use of platinum also allowed queens, princesses and court ladies more mobility with lighter-weight diadems, bandeaux and head ornaments that could also be disassembled and used separately as brooches.
       The "Art Deco - Yellow Gold - Flora and Fauna" section shows how Cartier's jewellery designs progressed from neo-classicism towards modernism,from ornate styles to abstract, geometric forms, and from classical one-colour schemes to ground-breaking uses of various colourful precious stones and metals.The animal and plant jewellery pieces in this exhibition zone also reflect the aesthetic sentiments influenced by the naturalism of that period. This was when the panther became synonymous with the House of Cartier, and it also reflects the free spirit of women in the modern age.
       The "Chinese Elements" and the "Compatibility of Cultures of the World"sections, meanwhile, show the deep influences of China, Japan, Egypt, Persia and India on Cartier jewellery, timepieces and other decorative accessories - a reflection of the Western hemisphere's consuming interest in Eastern civilisations and fine arts in the 1920s. This period saw an abundant use of such Chinese images as dragons, phoenixes, chimeras and other mythological beasts in Cartier designs as well as the prolific use of jade, emerald and mother-of-pearl. Impressed by Indian jewellery, Cartier's experiment with the use of different gemstones with contrasting colours created a new style now famously known as the "tutti-frutti".
       The Palace Museum exhibition also features many ornamental "mystery clocks",one of Louis Cartier's most famous inventions. A historical landmark in the field of watchmaking, the mystery clock's hands float in space on a transparent dial that does not show any clock mechanisms.
       The exhibition is a must for anyone who appreciates beautiful artistry or is interested in jewellery design and happens to be in Beijing during the next few months. Entry is free for holders of Palace Museum tickets.
       The exhibition is also equipped with free automatic spoken e-guides, available in Chinese and foreign languages.