FINE ART ASIA 2021 Academic Programme

Silver Through Time

Presented by L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts

In conjunction with Liang Yi Museum’s current exhibition, Family Silver: Highlights from the Liang Yi Collection in Hong Kong, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts invites you to explore the history and story of silver. For an hour, speakers Mathilde Rondouin and Daniel Roberts will guide you through the age-old craft of silversmiths, and the creation of both domestic and ceremonial silver as well as its many intricacies. A virtual tour of selected highlight galleries of Liang Yi Museum will be played prior to the beginning of the talk.

Since antiquity, silver has captivated our imagination. The discovery of the first silver mines paved the way for coinage and the creation of precious ornaments. The malleability and luminosity of this metal lent itself to a wide variety of fascinating artefacts. From the ancient mines of Anatolia to the New World deposits, silver has become a universal symbol of wealth and prestige. This conversation will immerse you in the story of silver – from the silversmith’s workshop to the grand banqueting halls of the nobility.

	Mathilde Rondouin is a specialist in European Decorative Arts, with a focus on porcelain manufactures and tableware. As an art historian, she has been teaching the expertise and history of French artefacts for 10 years now, first in Paris and then in Hong Kong. A lecturer at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts since 2019, Mathilde received her MA in Collecting and Art Market History at the University of Warwick, UK.
	Daniel Roberts is an Irish-born historian with a passion for silver. He has worked closely with several exceptional private collections and is currently working with Liang Yi Museum, which contains one of the finest collections of European silver in Asia. He recently assisted in publishing the catalogue of the current exhibition, Family Silver: Highlights from the Liang Yi Collection.