Rath Museum Geneva

WATCHMAKING IN GENEVA
(temporary exhibition)

From 15 December 2011 to 29 April 2012

The watchmaking, enamelware, jewellery and miniatures collections held at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire form a body of 18,000 objects of which some 1000 are presented in this exhibition. These artistic and historical specimens, encompassing jewels, baubles, objects of vertu and miniatures, are testimonials to the crafts that made up the Geneva Fabrique.
From the cabinet to the manufactory, visitors can follow the evolving work of watchmakers, engravers, rose-engine turners, chasers and enamelworkers; they can admire the enamelled watches and jewels that constituted the Fabrique’s speciality; they can enjoy looking at the group of Oriental-style timepieces; and they can examine the technical innovations that marked the history of watchmaking. Even if Geneva is at the heart of the display, the presented works are placed in an international context that takes account of European developments in the art of timekeeping from the 16th to the 20th century, advances that are amply evidenced by the collections of the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire in terms of both quality and quantity.

For further information about this exhibition