A LOVE AFFAIR
BVLGARI’S NEW RETROSPECTIVE AT THE MOSCOW KREMLIN MUSEUMS TRACES THE ROMAN JEWELLER’S EVOLUTION OVER THE COURSE OF A CENTURY, AS WELL AS THE EVOLVING TASTES OF WOMEN. FRANÇOIS OOSTHUIZEN ATTENDS THE OPENING OF TRIBUTE TO FEMININITY
Elizabeth Taylor’s jewellery collection was renowned as one of the greatest ever assembled. The actress was a passionate patron of Bulgari – a relationship that deepened when she settled in Rome in the early 1960s to film Cleopatra. Legend has it that she and Richard Burton – both married at the time – fell instantly in love while filming their first scene together, and sealed their affair with magnificent Bulgari jewels. News of their relationship spread like wildfire, and Bulgari’s Via Condotti store in Rome even became one of the couple’s favourite hideouts from the paparazzi. During their turbulent and much-publicised relationship, Burton took every opportunity to shower Taylor with fabulous Bulgari jewels – such as a spectacular necklace with 17 Colombian emeralds, presented to the actress as a wedding gift in 1964. In 2011, five decades after the couple first met, Taylor’s private collection fetched auction records at Christie’s. At this sale and from other private transactions, Bulgari acquired nine pieces that once belonged to her, which are now in the brand’s Heritage Collection and on display in the Tribute to Femininity exhibition. For Lucia Boscaini, brand and heritage curator at Bulgari, one of the most significant pieces among these is a sautoir featuring an octagonal pendant with a magnificent 65-carat sugarloaf sapphire,
chosen by the actress in 1972 to mark her 40th birthday, and because the intense blue of the gemstone reminded Burton of the colour of her eyes. “It’s probably one of the finest sapphires in the world,” Boscaini says. “Despite that and its provenance – the fact that it previously belonged to Elizabeth Taylor – it’s also very emblematic of Bulgari’s style; the quality of the gemstone, the setting, the craftsmanship and also the ‘engineering’. The gemstone was mounted in an elevated manner to allow light through when it’s worn. There are also a number of details that demonstrate Bulgari’s mastery … this is really one of the most distinctive jewels we have in our collection.” Boscaini also singles out Taylor’s engagement ring from Richard Burton. “She loved it very much and wore it every day – even after they divorced. In 2001, to raise funds for Aids charities, she decided to sell this rather than one of her other hundreds of jewels, because she really wanted to give a sign of her personal involvement in the cause. “We bought back both the ring and the selling certificate, signed by her and with a note that reads, ‘Wear it with love.’ For me, this is extremely meaningful because it shows her depth as a woman. She was very passionate, with values and strong beliefs.” Boscaini spent several years curating Tribute to Femininity. “It has been a long ambition of ours to put our Bulgari heritage on display at the Moscow Kremlin Museums,” she says, “as it’s one of the most credible museums in the world for jewellery. They have a beautiful permanent exhibition and, more than that, they have a very deep appreciation for and expertise in jewellery.” With 511 items on display, spanning from the late 19th century until the 1990s, it may not be the biggest heritage exhibition Bulgari has ever hosted but, as Boscaini explains, it’s certainly very significant. “In terms of content, it’s very important. For this kind of exhibition, it’s not only the jewels that are of importance for visitors, but also the stories and the images related to them.” Some 85 percent of the pieces are from Bulgari’s Heritage Collection, with the remainder from private collectors. According to Boscaini, Bulgari has increased its buyback activities in recent years. “For Bulgari, heritage is a matter of identity. The more we protect our heritage and what’s unique about it, the more we’re able to convey this identity. Our archive is full of sketches and documents, of course, but the jewels are at the core. If you only look at a piece of jewellery in a picture, you miss a lot of the details that can only be appreciated on the actual piece. But we’re not buying back every jewel Bulgari has ever produced, just the right pieces that demonstrate the evolution of our style and craftsmanship.”
“THE MORE WE PROTECT OUR HERITAGE, THE MORE WE’RE ABLE TO CONVEY OUR IDENTITY” — LUCIA BOSCAINI, CURATOR
Several exhibits have never before been on public display, such as a dazzling tiara with blue aquamarine, worn by the Italian princess Olimpia Torlonia on her wedding day. “The tiara now belongs to a family in Rome who have links to many royal families. It wasn’t originally made by Bulgari, but remodelled by us at the owner’s request to make it more wearable. The aquamarine, for example, can now be removed,” Boscaini explains. Tribute to Femininity traces the close association between Bulgari’s creative output and the demands and evolving tastes of women, changing in parallel with female emancipation. Alongside the cultural and social changes in women’s history, the creations on display celebrate the charisma of women who made their own rules and chose Bulgari jewels as an embodiment of their personality for both formal and informal occasions. The stunning jewellery anthology explores and highlights many hallmarks in Bulgari’s storied history, unfolding through an immersive narrative that’s complemented by photographs and other visual aids. But it’s the jewels – once owned and worn by film stars, aristocrats, prominent socialites and businesswomen – that are the real stars of the show. These spectacular pieces are vivid mementoes of the styles and trends of the eras in which they were created, whether it was the roaring 1920s, the dolce vita period of the 1960s, or the pop-art 1980s – the latter demonstrating Bulgari’s fun-loving and non-conformist spirit. Other impressive pieces come from the collections of the actresses Anna Magnani, Gina Lollobrigida and Anita Ekberg, aristocrats such as the Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan and Baroness Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza, and socialites like Barbara Sinatra and Lyn Revson. One section of the exhibition showcases the icons of Bulgari’s creativity as well as pioneering motifs and techniques that subverted the traditional approach to jewellery, of which the Parentesi jewels – Bulgari’s first modular collection – are a shining example. Nor would any Bulgari heritage exhibition be complete without a tribute to all the emblems of the house’s Roman roots, from pieces featuring ancient coins that convey the brand’s reverence for the past, to many extraordinary variations of the sinuous Serpenti (spanning more than four decades). The golden thread that runs through all the creations, according to Bulgari’s Creative Director for Jewellery, Lucia Silvestri, is creativity and quality. “For me, every decade represented something new, but it was still Bulgari. That’s my challenge, too … to ensure that our designs continue to evolve, while remaining unmistakably Bulgari. Mr [Paulo] Bulgari always says, ‘One eye to the past, and one eye to the future.’”
Tribute to Femininity runs until January 13, 2019 at the Moscow Kremlin Museums