A new exhibition at L'École School of Jewelry Arts in Shanghai highlights the heritage of goldsmithing through the replication of a gold necklace dating back two millennia.
Recreating Gesture: The Replica of a Gold Necklace from the Iron Age is running until Oct 7 at the Twin Villas. The exhibition centers on the experimental archaeology project re-creating a Celtic gold torque, a kind of neck collar that dates from the Second Iron Age (450-25 BC).
The Celtic gold torque was discovered in 1843, in the French village of Montans. Both its form and ornamentation are characteristic of Celtic goldwork. Composed of intricately twisted gold wires, the original piece illustrates the technical mastery of its time.
Through the recreation of this ancient ornament, the project seeks to rediscover lost techniques and reveal the savoir-faire of early craftsmen.
The project was initiated by Barbara Armbruster, research director at the French Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), along with the Centre Archéologique de Montans and the Musée dArchéologie Nationale in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, in partnership with Van Cleef & Arpels and L'ÉCOLE.
Leading goldsmith Antoine Legouy, a master chaser acclaimed as Meilleur Ouvrier de France, said that the challenge in the work was to follow the footsteps of ancient goldsmiths, in order to re-discover their forgotten techniques.
At the exhibition, the first floor gallery features the 24K gold torque faithfully reproduced from the original, alongside the tools and materials used in its creation, revealing each intricate detail step-by-step.
The documentary film retracing the recreation of the Montans Torque is screened, in which archaeologists, goldsmiths, and researchers discuss Celtic metalworking traditions, the social symbolism of the torque, and the sophisticated techniques required for its fabrication.
"What I take away from this experience is the contribution of craftsmanship to the understanding of an object," said Emmanuelle Amiot, senior research project manager at L'École in Shanghai.
Research cannot be done without the artisans. Craftsmen's gestures and their knowledge and skill are decisive and complement academic studies, and vice versa. This exchange nourishes art history and archaeology, and roots the arts and the techniques in history, she said.
To extend the exhibition experience, L'École has also curated interactive education spaces and a series of cultural programs, inviting audiences to move from observation to hands-on engagement, bringing the heritage of goldsmithing to their fingertips.
