European Art comes to Doha

As I mentioned last week, Doha is hosting a number of international exhibitions at the moment, as we move into the winter season. Today we visited the wonderful National Museum of Qatar to see the “Magnificent Jewels of Jean Schlumberger: From the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Collection”.

Jean Schlumberger

Jean Schlumberger (1898-1987) was a leading jewellery designer of the 20th century. He was renowned for his fantastical creations inspired by the natural world, particularly gardens and the sea. He was born in France (though at the time the area was part of Germany) and became a popular costume jewellery designer in Paris high society in the 1930s. After the war, he moved to New York, and set up a small studio for himself. In 1956, the president of Tiffany & Co., Walter Hoving, asked Schlumberger to begin designing for the firm. He had his own workshop at the company until his retirement in the late 1970s and was eventually made a Vice-President. He quickly built an impressive client base that included the Duchess of Windsor, Greta Garbo, Gloria Vanderbilt, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn. His designs are still on sale at Tiffany’s and are in high demand.

Rachel Lambert ‘Bunny’ Mellon

The exhibition at NMoQ includes more than 125 pieces from the Rachel Lambert Mellon Collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Rachel Lambert ‘Bunny’ Mellon was an expert in garden design, a philanthropist, and Jean Schlumberger’s most important patron. After her death in 2014, Bunny left the Virginia museum 142 pieces of Jean Schlumberger jewellery and bejeweled objects – now the largest and most comprehensive public collection of works the artist-designer.

Here are some of our favorite pieces:

Hummingbird (1962-3) Diamonds, pink diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, ruby, black enamel, 18-karat gold, platinum

Bird on a Rock (brooch) (1965) Lapis lazuli, colored and white diamonds, ruby, 18-karat gold, platinum

Bird, 1964, green and white enamel, black and cream lacquer, rubies, turquoise, 18 carat gold

Bird, 1964, green and white enamel, black and cream lacquer, rubies, turquoise, 18 carat gold

Pisces brooch, ca. 1965. Diamonds, emeralds, paillonné enamel, 18-karat gold, and platinum. This was Bunny Mellon’s favourite piece

Designed as a circular-cut sapphire conch shell with diamond and yellow diamond swirl tip, extending pavé-set diamond and yellow gold foliage, circa 1957. A piece like this was sold at Christie’s in 2018 for USD 68,750

Sea Star Brooch, 1960, Platinum, 18 karat gold, rubies and diamonds

Sea Star Brooch, 1956, Platinum, 18 karat gold, platinum and diamonds

Pisces 1965, Platinum, 18-karat gold, diamonds, rubies, and paillonné enamel

Sphere, 1966, enamel, black lacquer, 18 carat gold

Bracelet, 1964, 18-karat gold, platinum, cultured pearls and diamonds

Cornflower brooch, c. 1957. Sapphires, diamonds, 18-karat gold, and platinum.

Flowers (bracelet), 1950, 18-karat gold, platinum, diamonds and cultured pearls

Box with Wedgewood cameo of John Wesley (1961) 18 karat gold and Wedgewood jasperware

Cucumber Box (1962). 18 karat gold and peridot.

Dot Losange Bangle, 1960, Gold and paillonné enamel

Tiger Lily Brooch (1956) 18 karat gold, platinum, yellow sapphires, sapphires and diamonds

Jellyfish, 1967, 18 karat gold, platinum, moonstones, diamonds, and sapphires

Shell Box, 1958, emeralds, sapphires, turquoise, 18 carat gold

Mermaid Candlestick (1969) enamel, black lacquer, 18 carat gold

Flower Pot, 1960. Amethyst, emeralds, diamonds, black garnet ore, 18-, 20- and 22-karat gold, and terracotta

Study for ‘Flower Pot’: Leaf Designs 1960

Study for ‘Flower Pot’: Leaf Designs 1960

Pectoral Cross, 1960, set with emeralds, sapphires, aquamarines and diamonds

Easter Egg 1962, paillonné enamel and 18 carat gold

Jasmine (Breath of Spring) necklace, 1966, set with diamonds and 16 coloured sapphires