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The Parisian jeweler invites you on a voyage of initiation across Europe, that of the “Grand Tour”, reminiscent of that of the high aristocracy, who, as early as the 17th century, traveled thousands of kilometers to educate themselves through art and culture.
Unveiled on June 21 at the Villa Medici in Rome, this haute joaillerie collection offers necklaces and bracelets inspired by masterpieces of architectural and artistic heritage, visible from London to Baden-Baden, via Paris, Rome and Venice.
An ode to nobility’s voyage of initiation
In the words of Chairman and CEO Nicolas Bos, Van Cleef & Arpels’ haute joaillerie collection invites us on “a veritable journey through history and art.”
Both in name and aesthetic, it is inspired by the “Grand Tour”.
A term coined by the writer Richard Lassels in his book Voyage To Italy, it refers to a cultural experience based on travel from London, in force since the 17th century and lasting until the 19th century.
It consisted of aristocratic youth traveling throughout Europe to educate their eyes and minds in the discovery of other cultures. The practice, which originated in England, was particularly widespread in British, German, French, Scandinavian and Russian society.
Paris and Italy’s major cities were essential stopping-off points on this long-distance journey.
At the end of a two- to three-year journey of initiation to the farthest reaches of Europe, every young aristocrat would emerge a grown-up, having come into contact with masterpieces of the decorative arts and thousand-year-old archaeological sites such as Pompeii or the Roman forum.
This “Grand Tour” was an indispensable complement to any good education.
They would also return home, laden with souvenirs of all kinds, from their portraits in the cultural hotspots of the day to books, sculptures and jewelry.
Their experiences left their mark on jewelry design, reviving classical motifs and ancient goldsmithing techniques, as well as the use of cameos, intaglios and micromosaics.
A contemporary collection with classical inspiration
For its high jewelry collection “Le Grand Tour”, Van Cleef & Arpels proposes a multidimensional collection calling on all the finesse of jewelry-making expertise and the magnificence of the decorative arts.
The collection is structured around seventy pieces, directly inspired by Roman, Etruscan, Medieval and Renaissance art.
Necklaces and bracelets are the main form of the collection, with different inspirations: sometimes immersion in classical Italy, sometimes crossing the snow-covered Alps.
Italy marks the high point of this stylistic “Grand Tour”, with four Escale bracelets in the style of the Bandeaux bracelets – created in the 1920s – in the form of classical mosaics, reproducing views of Venice, Rome, Florence and Naples.
The House’s aim was to move as far away as possible from stereotypical postcard images of the various destinations, by referencing authoritative works that speak to the connoisseur.
Thus, Canova’s statue of the goddess of youth – and daughter of Hera and Zeus – Hebe, exhibited in London at Chatsworth House, is here declined as a Dea Eterna brooch, where the grey cultured pearls are an interpretation of European art’s message of eternal youth.
The opulent 18th-century chandeliers of Parisian salons, the Edelweiss of the Swiss Alps, the impenetrable German forest on the outskirts of Baden-Baden and the cornucopia of imperial Rome are all pretexts for jewelry creations.
The same is true of the Birth of Venus, the masterpiece painted by Sandro Botticelli and exhibited in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, or the Temple of Diana, a souvenir of the gardens of Rome’s Villa Borghese.
A jewellery manifesto of openness to the world
“There are some pieces that are so unusual […] but I think they fit perfectly into the narrative of our journey,” Van Cleef & Arpels’ Chairman and CEO described to the Times newspaper.
He adds: “We decided to surprise, enchant and explore a time when frontiers were so different from what they are today. In this day and age, I think it’s a welcome idea.”
Since its foundation in 1906, the jewelry house has always celebrated international travel.
Witness the Egyptian, Chinese and Persian-inspired vanity cases of the 1920s, or the gemstone commissions from the maharajas of Hyderabad, Indore and Nepal.
The Grand Tour collection also marks the opening up of the jewellery world to the world.
Indeed, not only is the sector one of the main drivers of international luxury – particularly in Asia and the Middle East – and requires a strengthening of the industrial apparatus, but it is also increasingly exhibited in museums, notably to appeal to Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2010).
Examples include the Garden of Green exhibition at the American Museum of National History in New York, and support for the School of Jewelry Art’s exhibition “A New Art: Metamorphosis of Jewelry 1880-1914.
Van Cleef & Arpels is not the first House to capitalize on the memory of the Grand Tour: Gucci had already taken the plunge in the summer of 2022, for its third and final haute joaillerie collection signed by its former artistic director Alessandro Michele. But unlike the current collection, the Italian House focused on its Roman roots, revisiting the iconography of souvenir jewelry from the Eternal City.
Gucci’s foray into the world of fine jewelry is not an isolated one.
Aware of the growing potential of the world’s affluent middle classes, Saint Laurent has diversified its offering, as have Prada and Fendi.
Read also > Saint Laurent launches a high jewelry line
Featured photo : Campaign for the “Grand Tour” collection, the model wears the Alps Regina Montium necklace and the Edelweiss-inspired brooch © Van Cleef & Arpels[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row njt-role=”not-logged-in”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The Parisian jeweler invites you on a voyage of initiation across Europe, that of the “Grand Tour”, reminiscent of that of the high aristocracy, who, as early as the 17th century, traveled thousands of kilometers to educate themselves through art and culture.
Unveiled on June 21 at the Villa Medici in Rome, this haute joaillerie collection offers necklaces and bracelets inspired by masterpieces of architectural and artistic heritage, visible from London to Baden-Baden, via Paris, Rome and Venice.
An ode to nobility’s voyage of initiation
In the words of Chairman and CEO Nicolas Bos, Van Cleef & Arpels’ haute joaillerie collection invites us on “a veritable journey through history and art.”
Both in name and aesthetic, it is inspired by the “Grand Tour”.
A term coined by the writer Richard Lassels in his book Voyage To Italy, it refers to a cultural experience based on travel from London, in force since the 17th century and lasting until the 19th century.
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[/vc_cta][vc_column_text]Featured photo : Campaign for the “Grand Tour” collection, the model wears the Alps Regina Montium necklace and the Edelweiss-inspired brooch © Van Cleef & Arpels[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row njt-role=”people-in-the-roles” njt-role-user-roles=”subscriber,customer”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The Parisian jeweler invites you on a voyage of initiation across Europe, that of the “Grand Tour”, reminiscent of that of the high aristocracy, who, as early as the 17th century, traveled thousands of kilometers to educate themselves through art and culture.
Unveiled on June 21 at the Villa Medici in Rome, this haute joaillerie collection offers necklaces and bracelets inspired by masterpieces of architectural and artistic heritage, visible from London to Baden-Baden, via Paris, Rome and Venice.
An ode to nobility’s voyage of initiation
In the words of Chairman and CEO Nicolas Bos, Van Cleef & Arpels’ haute joaillerie collection invites us on “a veritable journey through history and art.”
Both in name and aesthetic, it is inspired by the “Grand Tour”.
A term coined by the writer Richard Lassels in his book Voyage To Italy, it refers to a cultural experience based on travel from London, in force since the 17th century and lasting until the 19th century.
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[/vc_cta][vc_column_text]Featured photo : Campaign for the “Grand Tour” collection, the model wears the Alps Regina Montium necklace and the Edelweiss-inspired brooch © Van Cleef & Arpels[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
