Patek Philippe Museum The Mirror of Seduction Exhibition (15 May - 16 October)

[Airangel]

Luxury watchmaking from London, Geneva and later from the Neuchâtel Jura played a major role at the end of the 18th century and during the entire 19th century as a supplier of the Middle Kingdom. European watchmakers, goldsmiths, painters on enamel and engravers came together in order to create these true works of art intended to seduce the Chinese dignitaries.

But why these unique timekeepers, which are quite different, were produced in pairs and some of them by mirror image effect?

To solve this mystery, come and discover the exceptional thematic exhibition "The Mirror of Seduction" at the Patek Philippe Museum, from 15th May to 16th October 2010!

The collection of the Patek Philippe Museum includes more than one hundred timepieces that were crafted explicitly for the Chinese market from the mid-18th century until about 1850. Thanks to generous loans by public institutions and private collectors, the museum has the rare opportunity to present some forty pairs of “Chinese” watches, including those taken from the museum’s permanent collection. The eclectic decorations of these watches are highly varied, depicting religious, mythological, and purely secular themes.

The global reputation of timepieces made in Geneva and of Switzerland’s watch trade with the Orient, particularly with China, had its roots at the court of Constantinople (Istanbul) with which Geneva had entertained close relationships since the early 17th century. Bypassing French diplomats – the Edict of Nantes had just been revoked in 1685 – Geneva’s watchmakers benefited from the presence of Great Britain at the Sublime Porte. They were quick to enlist British merchants with outposts in the Far East as agents through whom they exported clocks and pocket watches. In those days, it was customary for nations to leverage their diplomatic relations not only for political but also for decidedly commercial purposes.

Although Swiss watchmakers long relied on British affiliates to sell their products, they also gradually began to establish their own trade relations with China. Under the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1736 to 1796), the Genevan luxury watchmaking industry played an important role and at the turn of the century evolved to become the preferred purveyor of timepieces for the Chinese Empire. Many Swiss watchmakers took up residence in China until trade relations collapsed with the eruption of the First Opium War, fought between 1839 and 1842.

Every week on Monday, the Patek Philippe Museum unveils a fabulous pair of "Chinese" watches. This first week features a pair of perfume bottles, manufactured in mirror image circa 1775.


VISITOR INFORMATION

PATEK PHILIPPE MUSEUM
Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers 7
CH – 1205 Geneva
Tel.: + 41 (0)22 807 09 10
Fax: + 41 (0)22 807 09 20
www.patekmuseum.com
info@patekmuseum.com

OPENING HOURS
Tuesday to Friday: 2 PM to 6 PM
Saturday: 10 AM to 6 PM
Closed on public holidays
Opening hours extended to 8 PM every first Tuesday of the month from June to October

TOURS AND OTHER INFORMATION
Public tours on Saturdays and days with extended opening hours, every half hour starting at 2:30 PM
Private tours on appointment. Enquiries: visit@patekmuseum.com
Group conferences on appointment at 7 PM every first Tuesday of the month from June to October

[Teo]