The Victoria & Albert Museum Cartier exhibition

Posted on June 5, 2025June 11, 2025 by Aurélia Turrall

Where do I begin? How can one describe in a few words the magnificence that is this exhibition. Though a bit crowded (to be expected) it was still as jaw dropping as the Paris exhibition, I had the delight of seeing some 15 years ago.

The exhibition’s curators have chosen to take us through time, continent, through to watches and finish with a bang in the form of tiaras, both antique and modern. I will therefore endeavour to give you a tour in the same manner.

The earlier pieces from the beginning of the 20th Century are, naturally, inspired by the times in the shape of Belle Epoque garlands, bows and drapes.

The Manchester tiara was commissioned by the Dowager Duchess of Manchester who supplied Cartier with the 1,513 diamonds “for a design inspired by 18th century French architecture and ironwork. Born in NY from wealthy Cuban-American parents […] married into British aristocracy exchanging her wealth for a title.” It is set with diamonds and paste, mounted in silver and gold as was customary before platinum took over the jewellery industry by storm a few years later. This kicked off the Art Déco period.

This particular tiara was accepted by the HM Government in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to the Victoria & Albert Museum, as were quite a few pieces found in this exhibition.
Other pieces of the era include these diamond-set bows, lace ribbon brooch and stomacher, all dating from 1909-1912, mounted in platinum and set with diamonds.

This tiara was made by Cartier in 1912, commissioned by Baron Pierre de Gunzburg (French banker and philantropist). It is an exquisite example of exceptionnal savoir-faire. This tiara is made of carved rock crystal (colourless quartz) and overlaid with diamonds.

Cartier also perfected the craftmanship of more “practical” pieces such as this perfume burner. Made in 1907, it is set with aventurine quartz, guilloché enamel, sapphires and silver gilt. The following year they created this desk clock on inkstand.

It is similarly-set with guilloché enamel, diamonds, sapphires, silver, gold, platinum and silver gilt.

Three other wonderful examples of guilloché enamel are these three pieces:

As we move in time, so do we move geographically. With long travels becoming more “common”, came new discoveries and new combinations of styles and texture, such as this Chinese Vanity case created in 1928.

Other far away places include Egypt, put on the map with the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.

These new designs, step away from fluid lines and nature-based motifs, giving way to geometric design as clean lines, contrast and new colours.

This is the Art Déco movement which ‘cast aside the dictates of the past’, says decorative arts historian Melissa Gabardi. Art Déco jewels were sleek and bold, characterised by sharp edges and regularity of surface, line and volume. Unorthodox combinations of stones were introduced, with many designs combining natural materials such as onyx, emeralds, rubies, jade, silver, ivory, lapis and rock crystal with manufactured ones such as plastic and glass.
It is no secret that this is my favourite period when it comes to jewellery design.

The below pieces illustrate this daring combination of semi-precious and precious gemstones, resulting in some magical design by the luxury brand.

Renewed interest in Egyptian, Chinese and Japanese art offered European artists a new source of stylistic motifs. They adapted decorative elements particular to Asian jewellery, such as jade, coral, enamels, lacquer and pearls. Designs ranged from exact copies of dragons, pagodas and Chinese characters, to more liberal interpretations of Asian themes.

Keeping with the use of different materials and gems, the Cartier exhibition delighted us with a selection of Tutti Frutti jewels.

At the time of Art Déco jewellery creation, Jacques Cartier was running Cartier London and would return from his many far away travels with the most exquisite gems. These stones could be carved or made into cabochon. Cartier was the first to create these new colour and gem combinations and in the 1970s the style was named Tutti Frutti.

The daring and striking colour and gem combination expands to other gems such as quartz in this handcuff bracelet made of amethyst and citrine.

Jade and ruby seemed the perfect alliance of West meets Far East in this sublime necklace made in 1934.

The exceptional colour and translucency of these matching 27 jadeite beads make this necklace one of the finest jade jewels ever made. In 1933, Alexis Mdivani, husband of American heiress Barbara Hutton, brought these beads to Cartier to add a diamond clasp, which Hutton swapped the following year for the current ruby mount.

This necklace now belongs to the Cartier collection along with several other pieces presented at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Over the years, private owners have sold their heirlooms and Cartier has been very pro-active in buying back all of their most prized pieces.

A few have the extraordinary chance of owning exquisite pieces such as this diamond and sapphire sautoir made in 1911. It is set with a 35.13 carat star sapphire and is part of a Swiss collection. The sapphire in the piece beside it, weighs 478 carats and was made in 1913. It belongs to the Qatar Museum.

As we leave the room presenting some of the most spectacular gems, we step into the world of clocks and watches.

My favourite piece was this Mystery clock made in 1956 set with a single piece of smokey quartz.

As we step away from the more “wearable” we enter the last room dedicated to tiaras.
The Sun Tiara made in 1907, set with a Fancy Intense Yellow diamond weighing 32.58cts, part of the Al Thani collection.

This tiara is set with diamonds and synthetic rubies. It now belongs to the Victoria and Albert Museum, after being allocated by HM Government in lieu of inheritance tax. The design and stones were supplied to Cartier by Alexandra Calvocoressi-Comnène, who was to wear it for her wedding to Robert Everts in 1913.

Tutti Frutti is still in demand as does this tiara prove. Made in 2018, it belongs to a private collection.

The above pieces are but a snippet of the wonderful creations over the last 100 years by Cartier. When I am fortunate enough to handle period pieces by this unique brand, I am reminded that each one of them has been carefully designed, curated, set with stones flown from the other side of the world, from sometimes perilous countries and nothing should be taken for granted when admiring extraordinary artwork, in whatever shape or form it may come.

I hope this preview has given you an appetite to discover the exhibition in its entirety. Hurry, few tickets remain available!

Other highlights to discover include:

Artist Spotlight: The work of Dame Magdalene Odundo

Posted on September 12, 2024November 25, 2024 by Stephanie Connell

Dame Magdalene Odundo (Kenyan/ British, b. 1950) is arguably one of the most important artists working in Britain today and the definitive contemporary ceramicist of the modern era.

Odundo’s oeuvre typically consist of sculpture in clay and on occasion in glass. These forms simultaneously traditional and modern – equally unpretentious and layered with meaning. Her work is almost timeless – galleries exhibiting her pieces often choosing to display them alongside historical artifacts and objects from societies which she has taken inspiration from.

The creation of her work is a complicated process. The sculptural vessels are predominantly hand-built coiled pots, formed in terracotta, using a traditional technique learned in Nigeria. They are typically decorated in slip, multi-fired and polished. Her work is recognisable by the strength of the form and glazes – usually either almost metallic in burnished brown/ black or orange/ red oxide.

Odundo, has discussed the closeness the shapes of her work take to the human form – and that naming terms for pottery vessels such as ‘neck’ and ‘body’ make pots anthropomorphic – vessels have the exterior on show, whilst the interior is hidden, as individuals do.

In recent years Odundo’s status has been reflected by a significant number of dedicated exhibitions of her work. These exhibitions have included Magdalene Odundo: The Journey of Things held at The Hepworth Wakefield (February 2019 – June 2019) and Sainsbury Centre (August 2019 – December 2019); Magdalene Odundo in Cambridge at the Fitzwilliam Museum (December 2021 – June 2022); Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects held at the Gardiner Museum, Canada (October 2023 – April 2024) and the exhibition currently being held at Houghton Hall, Norfolk (* until 29^th September 2024).

Dame Magdalene Anyango Odundo was born in Nairobi in 1950 and spent her childhood in India, Nairobi, and Mombasa. She was primarily educated in Kenya by Irish nuns – and according to the artist had little knowledge of ceramics. The colonial education system invariably overlooking the chiefly female tradition of making pots for food preparation.

She initially trained in Kenya as a Commercial and Graphic Artist. She travelled to the UK in 1971 to continue her studies – she has lived and worked in England since this time.

Between 1971 – 1973 Odundo was a student at Cambridge College of Art. It was here she first discovered her passion for ceramics. As she revealed in a 2021 interview

“The first time I actually encountered clay I just literally fell in love with it”.

Magdalene Odundo has discussed the importance of clay to her work, considering the connection between pottery and the earth – to quote “you come from it, and you go back to it”. She has referenced how ceramics have been used to produce vessels throughout human history and across civilisations. The corelation between the shapes she creates – the human form and therefore condition – are also pivotal.

She achieved a BA in Ceramics at West Surrey College of Art and Design (renamed University of Creative Arts) between 1973 – 6. Odundo became a University Professor at this institution in 2001 and Emirta Professor in 2016 and Chancellor of the institution. Magdalene Odundo is closely linked with Surrey and is based in Farnham.

During the early part of her career, Odundo, visited Kenya, Nigeria, and the Pueblo people in New Mexico to learn pottery building and glazing techniques. In 1976 The Hepworth Wakefield made the first acquisition on of her work by a UK institution – ‘Eniasulo (Water Carrier)’ (1974-6). She was awarded a Masters in Ceramics from the Royal College of Art in 1982. It was after her exhibition in the early 1980s that appreciation of her work became more widespread.

The Magdalene Odundo exhibition currently being displayed at Houghton Hall, Norfolk brings together several of Odundo’s important works in both ceramics and more unusually glass. The show is the first at Houghton dedicated to the work of a female artist and additionally a black artist. The exhibition aims to create a juxtaposition and a dialogue between the opulent interiors of the Palladian house and Odundo’s contemporary sculptures.

One of the most impactful pieces is a new work displayed as a dining table centrepiece in Houghton Hall’s Marble Parlour. The work was produced during Dame Odundo’s yearlong residency at Wedgwood, Stoke on Trent. The piece reflects upon Wedgwood founder Josiah Wedgwood’s campaigning for the abolition of slavery and work as a ceramicist. This large multi-tiered sculpture is atypical of Magdalene Odundo’s work.

To quote the artist

“It is the first time I’ve used narrative and figure and ornament in my work, because my own work is very paired down, very plain. The discovery of all the ornaments and the figures within the Wedgwood tradition gave me a platform to use narrative and storytelling”.

Odundo uses Jasperware – instantly recognisable as Wedgwood in Black and Cane colours, first used in the 1770s. The lower two-tiers feature horrifying symbols of slavery, and figures, akin to of those depicted in the shocking 18^th century Brook’s slave ship illustration. The upper tier has images of recent protest in Nairobi. Odundo was able to refer to the design in the Wedgwood archive, including the anti-slavery medallions.

For the Houghton Hall exhibition, her modern objects are placed in contrast with the antique and historic pieces, within interiors designed by William Kent for Robert Walpole.

In the Green Velvet Bedchamber where typically a pair of Chinese porcelain cranes are on display – one has been replaced by Magdalene Odundo’s ‘Untitled’ (1995) – these two ceramic pieces seem to be in a direct dialogue with one another. The shape of Odundo’s vessel and black glaze complimented by the chinoiserie cabinet it sits upon.

In the Stone Hall seven objects are on display – five in the centre of the room raised on plinths – and a pair in orange glaze set within alcoves. Against the bright white stone, the black and orange glazed sculptures are shown to their best advantage.

The Magdalene Odundo exhibition is currently being held in parallel with one-hundred Anthony Gormley iron sculptures – installed around the estate.

The market for Dame Magdalene Odundo’s work has been very buoyant this century. In recent years demand and prices have increased dramatically.

To illustrate, it is worth looking at pieces which have appeared on the open market historically and have been offered again this decade. In September 2006 Bonhams London offered ‘A rare Vase Form’ executed by Odundo in 1986. (Lot 220, Bonhams, International Contemporary Ceramics, 19^th September 2006) At that time the piece sold for £27,600 (including BP).

The same work described as ‘Untitled’ was offered in June 2021 at Sotheby’s London (Lot 32, British Art Evening Sale Modern/ Contemporary, 29^th June 2021). This time the vessel sold for £378,000.

Notably, ‘Untitled’ (1984) was sold by Sotheby’s in June 2022. (Lot 2, British Art: The Jubilee Auction, Sotheby’s London, 29^th June 2022). When first going under the hammer 15 years earlier at Bonhams NY the lot had been titled ‘Mixed Colour Flat-Topped Winged’ – achieving $45,000 (Lot 90, International Post-War and Contemporary Ceramic Art, Bonhams NY, 5^th June 2007). In 2022 this work sold for a second time reaching £302,400!

In July 2021 Somerset auctioneers Lawrences of Crewkerne sold a ‘Terracotta Vessel’ produced by Magdalene Odundo in 1985. The work sold for a hammer price of £94,000 (Lot 27, 19^th/ 20^th Century Design, Ceramics…, Lawrences of Crewkerne, 19^th July 2021). The same piece appeared at Sotheby’s less than three years later in June 2024. This time reaching a total of £240,000!

Over the past 18 months records for the artist work have been broken. In June 2023 Sotheby’s sold one of the most striking of her vessels ever offered at auction – Dame Magdalene Odundo’s ‘Untitled’ (1999). Against an estimate of £100,000 – 150,000, it reached £533,400.

For those wishing to view her work in person, it can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, Pallant House Gallery in Chichester and The British Museum, London.

The ‘Magdalene Odundo’ exhibition continues at Houghton Hall until late September. A solo exhibition of her work will open at the Thomas Dane Gallery, London on 9^th October 2024 and displayed until 14^th December 2024.