After the art of porcelain, which the Guimet Museum highlighted in June, within the framework of the China 2024 program, which celebrates 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, comes the time for goldsmithing. “Bling-bling!” »comments, amused, the president of the Parisian establishment, Yannick Lintz. Thanks to a loan from the Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts in Xi’an, east-central China, the National Museum of Asian Arts on Place Iéna in Paris presents an extraordinary collection of gold objects and jewelry from Ming dynasty (1368 -1644). It was formed by the Chinese businessman and patron of Vietnamese origin Peter Vien Kwok, founder of the Xi’an establishment in 2012 and, in addition to his investments in art, owner of six castles in Bordeaux.
The number of pieces presented is quite limited (121 objects and jewelry, mostly from the 16th century).my century and made by the imperial goldsmith), but the collection is no less exceptional. Some of the gold pieces from the Ming era were melted down in the following centuries to accompany fashions with new creations. Objects found in the art market were saved from destruction by the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and, discovered during archaeological excavations that uncovered princely or imperial tombs, were offered as diplomatic gifts or looted during wars.
Contemporary with the Italian Renaissance, the Ming (meaning “bright”) period is one of the most important periods of Chinese civilization. It is marked by maritime explorations – including those of Zheng He (1371-1435) – which brought all kinds of riches from distant lands, through the construction of the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. A time in which gold came to supplant jade, until then considered the most precious material, in objects intended for worship and the court.
jewelry scenery
Thanks to trade with America and mining production in southeastern China, the metal circulated in abundance. Advantages of this material: it does not rust and can be easily modeled (an educational video made with the School of Jewelry Arts explains the different techniques, from hammering to filigree, including chiseling), offering craftsmen and artists complete freedom to express your creativity. . This was stimulated by a strong demand from the elites and, in particular, from the new class made up of wealthy merchants, who aspired to reproduce the way of life of the court.
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