STYLE Edit: Why Korean art from the Joseon dynasty is giving Van Cleef & Arpels the butterflies
Butterflies have always been an integral part of Van Cleef & Arpels’ artistic ethos. In elegant shapes and bright colours, they have been seen in the form of precious clips and gorgeous earrings offered by the French luxury maison since the 1920s.
This year, Van Cleef & Arpels is paying tribute to its nature-inspired creations like the butterfly clips through a collaboration with renowned Korean photographer Younghee Suh. Drawing a connection between the maison’s lacquered butterfly clips and Korean paintings from the Joseon dynasty, the artist has created a series of photographs that resemble still life paintings.
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“For me, Van Cleef & Arpels’ butterfly clips echo the creations of a famous Korean painter from the Joseon dynasty. In her paintings, butterflies were in harmony with enchanting flowers and fruits. I wanted to connect her world with the maison’s graceful creatures,” says Suh.
Over the years, Van Cleef & Arpels has brought various artists on board to interpret its nature-based themes in their own way. For instance, the maison’s first butterfly clips collection was launched in 2004 in collaboration with a Japanese lacquer-artisan. Van Cleef & Arpels has created some exceptional pieces in collaboration with Junichi Hakose’s famous lacquer workshop in Wajima, Japan.
This workshop uses urushi, a traditional lacquering technique dating back to the 18th century to create each piece entirely by hand. The delicacy of the work and the detail of each pattern are highly impressive.
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The lacquered butterflies collection celebrates the profound Eastern influence on the maison’s creations in four different materials used at this workshop – letter wood on yellow gold, white mother-of-pearl on yellow gold, white mother-of-pearl on white gold and grey mother-of-pearl on white gold.
Van Cleef & Arpels has been using lacquer to make boxes and minaudières since the 1920s. The combination of a nature-based themes like the butterfly and lacquered art creates a world characterised by elegance and femininity.
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The French maison is celebrating its nature-inspired butterfly clips through a collaboration with renowned Korean photographer Younghee Suh, who draws from paintings created in a past dynastic kingdom which ended in 1897