24 May 2007 – 30 November 2007

Ancient jewels and precious trinkets of the Musée de l'Horlogerie et de l’Émaillerie

Goldsmithing, silversmithing and jewellery-making have occupied an important position in the history of Geneva since the 15th century, even though these arts became more circumscribed with the advent of the Reform. Watchmaking, although it dominated the activities of the « Fabrique » (the term given collectively to these crafts in Geneva), did not surpass gold and silversmithing until the middle of the 17th century with the development of portable watches. In spite of the sumptuary laws, in vigour until after 1785, jewellery, gold and silverwork all enjoyed a new golden age in the period after the Restoration of 1813, when the reputation of Geneva’s artisans was further burnished by the production of many splendid pieces.
The MHE’s collection, from diverse geographical origins, numbers some 1,500 items from the Middle Ages to today. Jewels and costume accessories as well as display case pieces and trinkets illustrate the techniques and materials of the jeweller’s craft. The viewing public should appreciate this foretaste of the new hanging at the Musée de l’Horlogerie et de l’Émaillerie, sourced on the arts and crafts of the Geneva Fabrique.

Address

Musée d'art et d'histoire
Rue Charles-Galland 2
1206 Genève
phone +41 22 418 22 00
http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/mahg

Opening Hours

Daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., closed on Monday.

Description of the Museum

Erected between 1903 and 1910 and designed as an encyclopedic museum, it covers the whole of western culture, from its origins to the present days.

The three sectors of the museum comprise Archaeology (prehistoric, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman); Fine Arts (some 400 paintings from the Renaissance to modern times, and sculptures by artists such as Houdon, Pradier, Rodin, Arp, Giacometti, Tinguely, etc.); Applied Arts (objects from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, such as furniture, textiles, pewterware, arms and armor).

Within 10 days
starting exhibitions
ending exhibitions