with Francesca Cartier Brickell’s first talk in India amongst others | 6 & 7October 2017
The inaugural jewellery conference is the first of its scale to be held in India, and one of Saffronart’s Dialogues in Art series. Several high-profile speakers will discuss the history and tradition of jewellery in the context of art, literature, culture and fashion, in India and globally. Francesca Cartier Brickell from the Cartier family is speaking for the first time in India.
The Timeless Legacy of Indian Jewels is curated by Dr. Usha R Balakrishnan, a leading jewellery historian and reputed author.
Speakers include François Arpels, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Brands & Beyond; Francesca Cartier Brickell, Independent writer & lecturer and direct descendent of the the Cartier family; Anjan Chakraverty, Artist, Art Historian and Former Dean, Faculty of Visual Art, Banaras Hindu University; Derek Content, British Jewellery Historian, Dealer, and Consultant, London; Maharani Radhika Raje Gaekwad, from the Baroda Royal Family; Lisa Hubbard, International Jewellery Specialist, former Jewellery Chairman of the Americas for Sotheby’s, and current Senior Advisor to Christie’s Jewellery Department; Salam Kaoukji, Curator, The al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait; Pramod Kumar KG, Managing Director, Éka Archiving Services, New Delhi; Tom Moses, Executive Vice President and Chief Laboratory and Research Officer, Gemological Institute of America, Susan Stronge, Senior Curator, Asian Department, Victoria & Albert Museum, London; and John Zubrzycki, Journalist, Researcher, and Author of The Last Nizam: An Indian Prince in the Australian Outback (2006), Australia.
Topics on talks:
Friday, October 6, 2017
6:30 – 8 pm at The Imperial Club, Mumbai South Tower, Level 6 B B Nakashe Marg, Tardeo, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400034
Talk 1: A conversation between Usha Balakrishnan and John Zubbrzycki on the Jacob Diamond
Talk 2: Francesca Cartier Brickell, Cartier’s India Connecton: Maharajas and Tutti Frutti Jewels Seen from a Family Perspective
Saturday, October 7, 2017
9 am – 8 pm at Saffronart, Industry Manor, 3rd Floor, Appasaheb Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400025
Session 1
Speaker 1: Usha Balakrishnan | The Great beauty: Exemplars of India’s Legacy
Speaker 2: Anjan Chakraverty | Dissolving Boundaries: Enamelled Brocades and Painted Jewels from Banaras (Varanasi)
Session 2
Speaker 3: Tim Moses | The Mystique of Golconda: The Diamond
Speaker 4: Derek Content | Diamond Jewellery before Diamond Cutting
Session 3
Speaker 5: Salam Kaoukji | Collecting the al-Sabah Collection: Precious Indian Weapons in the al-Sabah Collection
Speaker 6: Susan Stronge | Jewels and Mughal Court Ritual
Speaker 7: Pramod Kumar G | First Water for Final: The Sovereign Golconda
Session 4
Speaker 8: Lisa Hubbard | Is All That Glitters Really Gold? Jewels Worth Collecting
Speaker 9: François Arpels | Inspiring India, Inspired by India: Indian DNA in Jewellry
Speaker 10: Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad | Royal Patronage, Enduring Grace: The Gaekwad Legacy
The conference highlights Saffronart’s efforts to support the arts through discussion, research and market-based initiatives. Saffronart leads the global auction market for Modern and Contemporary Indian art, and is a pioneer in jewellery auctions. First introduced in 2008, these jewellery auctions include high quality, standout pieces that showcase designs rooted in India’s cultural past. A private exhibition of jewellery from 9 – 14 October 2017 will include pieces that tie in to the conference, providing a visual timeline of India’s design history.
Future iterations of the conference will explore a wide variety of India-centric topics that weave together art, aesthetics, heritage, culture and even policy, patronage and cultural consciousness across all art forms.