It’s been 75 years since Bulgari adopted the snake motif for its Serpenti collection of watches and jewellery, and the icon is still going strong. As we recently reported, the Serpenti 75 Years of Infinite Tales exhibition has been making pitstops around the globe—beginning in Milan before travelling to London followed by Madrid.
Photo: Bulgari.
The exhibition is part of Bulgari’s “Serpenti Factory” initiative that aims to celebrate the mascot and the many ways it has inspired artists and craftsmen over the ages, with each exhibition featuring the works of local artists. In case you missed it, the latest edition was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai from 24 March to 17 April.
While the exhibitions all share the themes of Bulgari’s heritage and craftsmanship, each country brings with it a slightly different take, featuring new high jewellery collections and serpent-inspired artwork. Curated by contemporary painter Cao Dan, the Shanghai edition divides the exhibition into three chapters that bring guests on a journey through history and creative expertise.
The first chapter, “The Legend of a Sign”, set the tone by showcasing statues, reliefs, manuscripts and murals that tell the story of the snake’s ancient associations with the ideas of giving, creation, evolution and rebirth. For this chapter, Beijing-based artist and academic Wu Jian’an used the Serpenti Bejewelled Velvet Bag as inspiration for his artwork, Zhu Long, which translates to “candle dragon”.
The main image of the snake-bodied Chinese god Zhu Long incorporated modern cutting and setting techniques and was coated in gold and silver. New media artist Wu Junyong also contributed an animated ink installation to this section called Seeds of Light that referenced the Rod of Asclepius from Greek mythology and Chinese gods Fuxi and Nuwa. The installation’s continuous playback loop is a nod to the Ouroboros symbol of continuous rebirth.
In “Crafting Sinuosity”, Bulgari reached into its Heritage Collection to pull out some of its most iconic Serpenti creations, illustrating the brand’s mastery of colours and shapes. In this chapter, bamboo-weaving craftsman Qian Lihuai combined images of a serpent, a taihu stone and a diamond with an abstract bamboo sculpture he named Serpent in Fairyland, where the tough twists in the artwork echo the process of diamond-cutting, while the softer woven parts of the sculpture represent the agility and flexibility of the snake.
“The Future of an Icon” was the dazzling, climactic finish to the Infinite Tales with a showcase of Bulgari’s latest high jewellery creations. The Serpenti Sapphire Embrace set, comprising a diamond-embellished white gold necklace, earrings and ring, included a 4.11 ct royal blue Madagascan sapphire in the “tail” of the necklace and a similarly saturated 5.83 ct Sri Lankan sapphire in the ring.
The Serpenti Sapphire Gaze necklace continues the wintry theme with 30.99 carats of pave-set diamonds, buff-top sapphire inserts, and step-cut sapphires set in the snake’s eyes.
Photo: Bulgari.
The Serpenti Emerald Crown necklace was the series’ only rose gold creation, and its flexible, modular body was crafted from small beads soldered onto a gold mesh—a gold-smithing technique Bulgari has been using since the 1950s. The gold is interspersed with step-cut emerald inserts, pave diamonds on the head and tail, and crowned by a pear-shaped emerald.
Photo: Bulgari.
The final chapter also played host to new media artist Liu Jiayu’s video installation, Serpent Radiance, which juxtaposed dynamic images generated from digital algorithms against wall-mounted snake sculptures to give the illusion of two snakes slithering forward.
Meanwhile, Zhou Li created Metamorphosis—Life as a Ring in the style of her previous The Ring of Life sculptures. While the latter was influenced by the elegance and fluidity of Chinese calligraphy, Metamorphosis was the result of her study of classic snake forms in Greek and Chinese mythology. Embedded with emerald enamel that resemble Bulgari’s use of hexagonal scales, the sculpture is a modern and minimalistic interpretation of the sensual reptile.
The serpent has played an inextricable role in Bulgari’s vibrant world of jewels, but these series of exhibitions prove—rightly—that the brand’s ever-changing approach to elevating the snake is nothing short of an art form, and its collaborative efforts with the international artists is sure to bring more joy and wonder as the anniversary celebrations continue throughout the rest of the year.
