Grandeur is born of the infinitesimal: Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre stage their art workshops

Source:  Images and content by Vacheron Constantin

• Partners since 2019, Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre invite you to discover their art workshops through a series of videos.
• These films draw parallels between the skills of their respective master artisans in the fields of restoration, the “arts of fire” and work with light.
• United in their vocation to preserve various facets of the human heritage, Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre offer an initiatory journey to the heart of the crafts that powerfully express their vocation.

Geneva, November 1^st – Partners since 2019, Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre are home to a multitude of artistic crafts that they are committed to preserving. The world’s most visited museum opened in 1793 and the oldest watch manufacturer in continuous operation since 1755 are offering an introduction to these skills through a series of videos and three themes: the “arts of fire”, restoration and work with light.

“What you are about to see, these corridors you are about to walk through, these skills you are about to witness, have been faithfully cultivated and will continue to be perpetuated as long as the will to create and safeguard is passed on from generation to generation.”

It is with these introductory words that Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre address the viewers invited to discover their art workshops. The encounter with the various “masters of ceremony” – the artisans offering an initiatory journey to the heart of their crafts – is very real despite the medium of film. Presented in parallel between Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre, each theme enables visitors to understand how a watch Manufacture with a noble tradition and the world’s most visited museum pursue their quest for beauty in the very specific fields of restoration, the “arts of fire” and work with light.

This educational project is a perfect illustration of the spirit uniting Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre. Entirely in keeping with the artistic and cultural commitment of the Manufacture, this alliance reflects shared respect for history and heritage, distinguished by a special attachment to the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge. As the CEO of the Maison Louis Ferla explains: “Through these videos, we wanted to offer a glimpse of our rich range of crafts as well as clarifying the essential role of the artistic artisans at the heart of our actiivties This is a wonderful example of the projects we are developing with our partner. The Louvre is an inexhaustible source of inspiration and shares with Vacheron Constantin the same concern for mastering art and technology in the service of beauty. Our joint initiatives contribute to highlighting this commitment.”

Three of the Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre workshops are opening their doors:

• A conversation with light

Light is the spirit that breathes life into any creation. Based on this principle, visitors are invited to discover the splendid galleries of the Louvre. An ancient sculpture or the details of an engraved vase serve to establish a dialogue between the work and the viewer, according to the angle and perspective. This skilful lighting is reflected in the work of Vacheron Constantin’s master guilloché artist. The details of these motifs engraved on antique machines are revealed through subtle chiaroscuro relief effects created by the artisan’s expert touch. In contact with material, light becomes a messenger of beauty.

•  The arts of fire

With the kiln of Vacheron Constantin’s master enameller and the forge of the Louvre’s metal workshop, this introspection into the artistic crafts exercised by the two institutions offers an encounter with fire. The mastery of fire enables the blacksmith to shape the metal pieces essential to the presentation of the museum’s works. The mastery of fire allows the enameller to set in place layer after layer of these miniature paintings that breathe soul into timepieces. The contact with flames awakens an unmistakable aura of grandeur.

• Endless life

Every creation has its own history, which Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre strive to perpetuate with accuracy and integrity through restoration. In the workshops of the Manufacture, the master watchmaker endeavours to give life and nobility to these historical models testifying to ancestral know-how. In the heart of the Louvre, the carpentry and cabinetmaking workshop offers a vision of the meticulous care required to craft marquetry furniture. The patina of the past is nothing without an ongoing concern to safeguard it.

“Every creation harbours a history, of which one must record the rare testimonies and note the invisible traces, before being able to prolong their existence with accuracy and integrity.” The conclusion of this journey to the heart of artistic crafts sums up the attachment of Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre to that which constitutes their heritage.

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Sum-up

Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre are offering a series of videos expressing a unique vision of the watchmaking art. These short films take viewers on a journey into the workshops of the watchmaking Manufacture and the museum in order to explore three themes: the “arts of fire”; work with light; and restoration. Metalwork and enamelling artisans; specialists in lighting and guilloché craftsmanship; and finally, cabinetmakers and watch restoration experts all share their experience, their skills and their passion as witnesses and actors in the mission of perpetuating and passing on a profound sense of heritage.

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Vacheron Constantin x the Louvre videos:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhTXLk_kPo9wRg99JdHsamBCbds-BxFJu