Jewellery & Watch News
Presented for the first time to the public, this year’s Chatsworth exhibition is Life Stories, exploring the lives of people associated with Chatsworth. Stories of the family members, their friends and artists who worked with them are discovered through the pairing of portraits and objects. Visitors are invited to consider the lives of the people represented, their humanity and complexity and the similarities between us.
Life Stories invites questions and discussion on how connections with past figures might speak to our lives today. On first entering the exhibition, as you make your way down the tree lined approach of the North Drive, you’ll notice a pair of sculptures depicting British sculptor Elisabeth Frink. On one side, you have Angela Conner’s portrait of Frink and on the other you will see Tribute I as done by Frink herself. This pair encourages comparison of the faces and thought about how artists use the human face to convey a variety of emotions and experiences.
Further into the exhibition, visitors are encouraged to think about the stories and lives of those who inhabited Chatsworth. An elaborate silver lock, loaned from the Burghley House Preservation Trust was once part of the 27th century apartments at Chatsworth, occupied by Elizabeth Cecil, Countess of Devonshire. To ensure that the remarkable intricacy of the lock is noticeable on your entrance to the Great Chamber, it is placed within a resolutely modern and transparent acrylic door. The remarkable contrast between the door and the silver lock allows visitors to admire the complexity of its design and as such imagine the layout of the house as it was 400 years ago.
The C W Sellors 1,000 Pearl Necklace
Within the exhibition, you will also see a stunning replica pearl necklet of the one worn by Bess of Hardwick which has been entirely designed and handcrafted by C W Sellors. We are immensely proud to have collaborated with Chatsworth on this creation, bringing to life the famous portrait of Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, known as ‘Bess of Hardwick ’, with the four stand pearl necklace displayed proudly by the portrait’s side.
Painted by Rowland Lockey in 1592, the portrait depicts Bess of Hardwick dressed in a velvet black dress and a long four strand pearl necklace believed to have 250 pearls per strand. At the time, and even now, a pearl necklace like this would have been extremely rare with each individual gemstone appearing exact in colour and likely imported from the South Seas. Both the pearls and Bess’ black attire are items of opulence and together embody her ambition and resoluteness, her wealth and love of indulgence, and her passion for collecting items of value.
Sadly, the original pearl necklace has never been discovered but it is believed she split the four strands up and gifted them to four female relatives. This image in itself can be interpreted as a symbol of her empowering other members of family with her authority and confidence. C W Sellors wanted to humanise Bess of Hardwick’s personality through the replica pearl necklace which consists of 1,000 fresh white water pearls slightly irregular in shape just like those of the original.
Alongside the pearl necklet, C W Sellors has created a breathtaking Life Stories jewellery collection which similarly takes inspiration from the exhibition and the unique historic alignments it showcases. As with all our Chatsworth jewellery collections, including the House Style and Renewed lines, any pieces from the Life Stories collection that are sold, 10% of the sale goes to the Chatsworth House Trust, the charity responsible for maintaining Chatsworth for the long-term benefit of visitors.
Life Stories will debut on May 18th 2021. More information and ticket bookings can be found online at https://www.chatsworth.org/.
