For 30 years, Xavier Guerrand-Hermès of the renowned Paris-based fashion empire collected both stunning North African jewelry and historic late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century photographs by some of the region’s most prominent photographers. An exhibition of highlights from the collection has begun a national tour at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, where it will be on view to January 11.
“Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès Collection” features approximately 80 pieces of spectacular jewelry and a selection of photographs from Algeria, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia that were collected by Guerrand-Hermès, a director and vice chairman of Hermès of Paris, and the fifth generation at the company.
“The Xavier Guerrand-Hermès Collection is remarkable for its breadth,” said Sharon F. Patton, director of the National Museum of African Art. “Each piece of jewelry, each photograph, provides a rare opportunity to view works and images of cultures mostly unfamiliar to American audiences.”
“From simple ornaments that would be worn by a child to elaborate jeweled necklaces for women of wealth, the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès Collection is a treasure that reflects the richness of the cultures of North Africa as well as the collector’s superlative taste,” said Elsie C. McCabe, president of the Museum for African Art in New York.
Crafted from combinations of silver, coral, amber, coins and semiprecious stones, the exquisite collection includes wedding necklaces, hair ornaments, bracelets, earrings and fibula used to keep veils in place.
The pieces represent the inventive compositions and dazzling creations of North African jewelry designers and silver workers. North African jewelry came to the attention of Western collectors in the Nineteenth Century, the period when archaeological monuments in North Africa were being explored, visited and, in some cases, pillaged.
The most important photographers of the day are represented in the exhibition as well, including Scotsman George Washington Wilson, the Neurdine brothers from France and the Turkish photographer Pascal Sabah. They, and others, visited the region and photographed landscapes, architecture, markets and people adorned in jewels. Many of the images were used as postcards, while others remained hidden in private collections.
The National Museum of African Art is at 950 Independence Avenue SW. For more information, 202-633-4600 or africa.si.edu .
