An exhibition dedicated to the art of enamelling

Thanks to loans from numerous public and private institutions, more than 150 of the most beautiful enamelled objects ever created will sit alongside the School’s study collection in this unique exhibition examining the techniques used to teach and pass on enamelling expertise.

Enamel in all its forms – cloisonné, champlevé, painted, opaque, transparent or opalescent – has been a source of fascination for centuries. Behind the apparent simplicity of its composition of glass and metal oxides lies the expert skill of the enamellers who have mastered its preparation, application and firing in the furnace. Even today, decorating a watch with enamel is a kind of alchemy that is still part shrouded in mystery.

The Brilliance of Glass exhibition showcases the traditional techniques of enamelling applied to the decoration of timepieces. The exhibition will highlight the art of enamelling in all its finery thanks to loans from numerous public and private institutions, and will also cover the challenges – past and present – in training enamellers through an examination of the School’s impressive collection of industrial arts.

The Brilliance of Glass highlights many contrasts: the artisan enamellers creating masterpieces and those who commissioned them; the simplicity of the material and the great complexity of its mastery; the current appeal of enamelled timepieces and the absence of a well-established apprenticeship route.

Featuring more than 150 objects and documents from a diverse range of reference collections, the exhibition represents a unique opportunity to explore – as a single collection – multiple pieces only very rarely displayed in public. On either side of the central row of exhibits comprising the collections of the MIH and the School of Applied Arts, many of which are displayed for the first time, the exhibition will also feature a number of important and iconic enamel works on loan from various public institutions. Numerous masterpieces of miniature painting and enamelled jewellery have been obtained from the collections of the Museum of Art and History of Geneva, and the Watch Museum of Le Locle - Château des Monts has loaned several pieces, including its famous Singing bird mirror (Frères Rochat). A large number of well-known private institutions have also contributed works: Cartier Collection, Edouard et Maurice Sandoz Collection, Patek Philippe Museum Geneva, as well as companies (Cartier, Chopard, Hermès, Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe) and independent artisans (Anita Porchet, Debora Martinez) or young people in apprenticeship (Richemont Campus).

This trilingual exhibition (French, German, English) is accompanied by a cultural mediation programme designed to provide an introduction to enamelling and enable visitors to meet the artisans.

May 19, 2022