Meet this Saturday, January 18 at 5 p.m. at the Ingres Bourdelle museum to discover, or rediscover, the documentary “Le Diamant d’Ingres”, narrated by actor François Morel, in the presence of director Nicolas Autheman.
We decipher the political, economic and social dynamics that brought the gems to the model’s finger. Full of anecdotes, the documentary delves into the splendor of the empire’s nobility, in love with the symbols of a dream Orient, traces the diamond trail to India – the only country in the world to exploit mines up to the middle of the 18th century – and highlights the appetites aroused by this wealth, against a backdrop of commercial exchanges and the colonial aims of European powers.
Point of entry into the work of Ingres, the Portrait of Madame Duvaucey opens the doors to a secret world: that of the jewelers of Place Vendôme in Paris, of the diamond dealers of the city of Antwerp via Indian mines of Golconda. With the help of various contributors – managers of the Chaumet house, diamond seekers in search of fortune, precious stone cutters, mineralogy experts, etc. –, a pictorial investigation woven with desires, legends and dramas. To see this Saturday.
