An exquisite curation of 42 high jewellery pieces inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s love for Byzantine art and baroque sensibilities.
Comprising delicately wrought gold adorned with an impressive collection of scintillating diamonds, colour drenched gemstones and ornamental stones, these high jewellery masterpieces highlight Chanel’s exquisite jewellery savoir faire.
The story began in Venice.
Bereft and broken from the death of Boy Capel, Gabrielle Chanel journeyed to La Serenissima for the first time with her friends, José-Maria and Misia Sert.
She sought solace in the comfort of old and new friends – spending idle mornings at the Lido, afternoons at Piazza San Marco and intimate dinners at the city’s quiet taverns. Occasionally, she would attend one of the lavish masquerade balls held at the many grand palazzos located along the Grand Canal.
The city filled her with a renewed sense of hope and along with it, invigorated creativity. Over time, her trips to Venice became true rites of passage.
Venice gave Gabrielle a taste for opulent colours that broke with the stark rigour of black and white she was familiar with. A mosaic of East and West, it is a city of confluence and influence.
Between earth and sky; water and the heavens.
Byzantine mosaics, the Golden lion, large mirrors, baroque gold leaf consoles, spectacular Murano chandeliers…These Venetian influences remained in her creative conscience throughout her life; appearing ever so often in her creations and also finding their way into her apartment on Rue Cambon.
Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment on the second floor of 31 Rue Cambon was a private sanctuary designed to be timeless, baroque and harmonious. It offers a glimpse into her vivid imagination.
Perfectly preserved since Gabrielle Chanel’s passing in 1971, the apartment was classified as a historical monument by the Ministry of Culture in 2013. With her presence still lingering in the air like the scent of perfume, this fascinating space continues to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the creative worlds of the House of Chanel.
The magnificent coromandel screens, glorious rock crystal chandeliers and wonderfully ornate baroque mirrors all highlight the purity of natural materials, bold appeal of contrasts and the enigmatic lure of symbols.
The lion, wheat, camelia, octagon, the number 5…
