Jewellery by Chanel

Chanel was a creature of contrasts: there was the Chanel of the most sumptuous baroque, of gilded wood and brilliant lacquer, of rococo mirrors and dazzling, playful, unrestrained jewelry; and there was the Chanel of the tailored suit and the little black dress, of the severe cut, of the utmost restraint, of classicism a la franfaise.Out of this dialogue between ostentation and austerity, between hyperbole and understatement, between shadow and light, the jewelry that she created throughout her long career, as opportunity and chance encounter prompted, presents one of the least-known aspects of her work: in counterpoint or complement to the 'costume jewelry' that she gave so knowingly to the world, she invented a jewelry that was unparalleled in its insistence on luxury and refinement, unfettered in its themes and its imagination,and which drew inspiration from tradition without ever being the slave of everyday formulas or market values.With the help of illustrations and documents, and based on archival research and interviews with Chanel's colleagues and other witnesses to her life and career, this book is the first to explore a remarkable facet of a fascinating character: her passion for fabulous jewels,for exceptional stones, for improbable marvels which to quote her own words, should be viewed with innocence, with artlessness, just as we enioy the sight of an apple tree in blossom at the side of the road as we speed past in a motor-car.

Author: Patrick Mauries
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Extra Details: Pictorial Card Covers 9 x 13 inches tall, Lavishly illustrated with Colour and B&W Photos and artworks throughout.