Chaumet & Nature exhibition announced

A major exhibition, 'Chaumet & Nature: Nature-Inspired Jewellery Since 1780', will be held by Maison Chaumet, in partnership with M7, Qatar Museums (QM), and Qatar Creates, from November 1 to December 19 at M7.

The exhibition, the first high jewellery exhibition of its kind in Qatar, will feature nearly 107 pieces of jewellery and 111 visual works from both the Maison’s and QM’s collections, including eight works that have never been shown before.

Founded in 1780, Maison Chaumet, one of the oldest jewellery houses in France, is closely linked to the development of the nation.

Chaumet’s first major client was Napoleon Bonaparte, for whom the Maison’s founder, Marie-Étienne Nitot, set the épée used during his coronation as Emperor.

The house has maintained a botanical vision for its fine crafts for more than 240 years. Its pieces have drawn inspiration from quotidian wonders of nature ranging from flowers and leaves to more unusual subject matter such as wheat, grapes, laurels, pansies, palm trees, giraffes, and wings.

A special portion of the show will be dedicated to Maison’s Chaumet’s use of pearls, which have played a key role in Qatar’s national heritage.

In a press statement, M7 director Maha Ghanim al-Sulaiti said: “The remarkable beauty of Maison Chaumet’s jewellery presents the relationship between craftspeople and nature over the course of nearly a quarter of a millennium. We are particularly excited to present a group of Maison Chaumet works that employ pearls, which have been essential to the identity of Qatar since the nation’s earliest days.”

Chaumet CEO Charles Leung said: “The Chaumet & Nature exhibition and collaboration is unique in many ways and pays tribute to the relationship between France and Qatar in the 1970s. This collaborative exhibition highlights exceptional orders from Qatar, inspired by the Qatari cultural heritage and made in the high jewellery workshop of 12 Place Vendôme, Paris.”

Chaumet & Nature is organised in five sections that demonstrate nature as a key element of Maison’s designs: Preserving Nature, Drawing Nature, Observing Nature, Living in Nature, and Diving in Nature.

The exhibition will include pieces from Qatar Museums’ collection including the Duke of Westminster's transformable wings tiara (1907), the Greek frieze tiara (1910), the Rising sun aigrette (1910), all by Joseph Chaumet, and the Countess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck's emerald tiara (1900) by Chaumet.

The exhibition features a poem called “Treasures of the Earth” by Salman bin Khalid, which was created for Chaumet to celebrate the significant role of poetry in Arabic literature. Chaumet also commissioned the Qatari artist Shouq al-Mana to design an exclusive piece for the exhibition, that pays tribute to the Qatari tradition of pearl diving and commerce and that takes inspiration from the motif of underwater nature, one of the Maison’s many sources of inspiration.

In March 2024, M7 collaborated with Maison Chaumet on selecting Zainab AlShibani, a local graphic designer, to create the new Arabic logo, which is now present in all Chaumet’s flagship stores across the Middle East.

The M7 gift shop, in collaboration with IN-Q, will feature specially crafted designs for this presentation, along with exclusive offers.