Syncretic Jewels

An exhibition by Cartier at the Louvre, Abu Dhabi, highlighted the influence of Islamic art and Indian gems on the French maison's haute joaillerie over the years through more than 400 works from the museum's collection as well as those of partner museums, the Cartier archives, and private collectors.

- SANJANA RAY

BLINKING AT A wall-size portrait of a greyscale Mona Lisa is quite the cultured way to start a morning. So is waltzing around the Louvre, although instead of other historic artworks like Guido Reni's David with the Head of Goliath or the museum's trademark glass pyramid, it's the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf that glitter in the horizon. We were in the Louvre, Abu Dhabi, the city's hotbed of art and culture, and ready to walk into a time capsule-one that would take us back to the late 19th century, when fashion maison Cartier started to modify its designs under the heavy influence of Islamic art.

At first glance, the exhibition - Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design, co-curated by Judith Henon-Raynaud, chief curator and deputy director of the department of Islamic art at the Musée du Louvre, and Évelyne Possémé, former chief curator of ancient and modern jewellery at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, appeared as a portal to another world. Seconds after we were admiring the museum's modern architecture - a 180-metre-wide perforated dome lying at the heart of 55 individual buildings and 23 sprawling galleries-we walked into a shadowy maze of rooms that got its light from the sparkle of a dozen antique jewels on display in every corner.