RVA Things: VMFA Schlumberger Exhibit

I have this habit of waiting until the last minute aka procrastination, although I think the more appropriate term is lazy. Anyway, I waited until the last minute to go see the Schlumberger exhibit at the museum that closed this weekend.

Located on the second floor, I made my way through the Renaissance, Egyptian and African permanent exhibits to get to the Evans Court where the “Rachel Lambert Mellon Collection of Jean Schlumberger” was displayed.

The Mellon’s are well known patrons of the VMFA with wings of the building named after them. This collection will eventually become a permanent one after traveling for a little while.

The exhibit starts with a bang. A diamond and gold flower brooch greets you at the entrance and immediately draws you in. As you get deeper into the exhibit you discover that Schlumberger often used botanicals for inspiration.

After being stunned by the diamond flower brooch, you are introduced to small golden pill boxes and cigarette cases. Both delicate and beautiful these pieces spoke to the range of talent from the jeweler.

While these pieces are from a personal collection, Schlumberger was a well known jewelry designer. He has his own salon in Tiffany’s and decked out famous women like Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy.

Schlumberger made the enamel bracelet popular when Jackie wore them while First Lady.

The artist had a knack for combining different gems. He was not a fan of just diamonds, he wanted them to be accents to a larger piece. His jewerly also featured moving pieces. The level of detail and care he took to create each piece is evident.

The exhibit takes you through his design journey and features sketches, jewelry, household pieces, and an impressive lesson on the gemstones Schlumberger favored.

The exhibit is now closed, but will be back. It is certainly something I am excited to visit over and over once it lives in RVA permanently.

#VMFA #Art #Museum #Jewelry