Printemps Asiatique 2022 - ALONG CAME JEAN BAPTISTE… The Maisons and the Toshakhana : An Epoch of Luxury, Taste & Style

The Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with cultural centers and public buildings located in New York, Hong Kong, and Houston, as well as in Los Angeles, Manila, Mumbai, Tokyo, San Francisco, Seoul, Sydney, Washington, D.C. and Zürich. The Society strives to design a common future for Asia and the world in the fields of politics, arts and culture, education, sustainable development, business, and technology. Asia Society France was established in Paris, France, as the first Asia Society Center in the European Union in 2021. Asia Society France is planning an ambitious program of events and initiatives throughout France and in line. 

With Dr. Usha R Balakrishnan, a highly regarded independent scholar of Indian art & culture and pre-eminent historian of Indian jewellery. She is the Chief Curator of the World Diamond Museum. Usha has a Ph.D. in Ancient Indian Culture and a post-doctorate degree in Museum Studies from New York University, USA.

Abstract

In the 17th century, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a French gem merchant arrived in India, drawn by the lure of Golconda diamonds. He made six voyages and conducted a flourishing business, acquiring historic gems such as the Blue Hope and the Regent for King Louis XIV. The road between France and India was opened for the movement of gems & jewels, and taste & style. Captivated by the allure of India and the wealth of India’s maharajas, the Maisons (jewellery houses) of France turned to the east – for inspiration, patronage and Toshakhanas (treasure houses) that were brimming with gems and jewels. They created an entirely new genre of jewels that were a fusion of east and west, combining classical Indian forms and motifs with French design sensibility and fine craftsmanship. For their western clientele they created avant garde jewels that combined the flamboyance and colour of Indian gems with the art-deco forms of the early 20th century. In India, white gold and platinum replaced yellow gold, gems were set in claws, mounts became lighter and design inspirations were drawn from fashions in France. This synergism endures today as high-end jewellery houses repeatedly turn to India for inspiration. This talk will explore and present these cross-cultural exchanges.