ESCALE CABINET OF WONDERS
LOUIS VUITTON
DRAGON’S CLOUD
Completing the artisanal triptyque is a model in rose gold, depicting a majestic dragon, clutching a carnelian-set GLV monogram.
A rare technique known as damascening was chosen to reflect the traditional habitat of the Asian dragon. Damascening is a form of decorative inlay using metals of contrasting colours, resulting in a layered appearance echoing the organic textures found in nature. In the Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders Dragon’s Cloud, a dial plate is hammered to a matt finish before grooves are cut to receive different lengths of yellow-gold or rose-gold wires. The wires are cold-worked into the dial plate, then further worked by hand, using a burin to shape and finish the inlaid metal.
Client
Louis Vuitton
Commission
Artistic Direction, design, product / craftsmanship development in collaboration with the teams of Louis Vuitton and La Fabrique du Temps.
Images / Credits
Photos packshots. Crédits : Louis Vuitton
Photos still life. Crédits : Ulysse Frechelin
Photos savoir-faire. Crédits : Piotr Stoklosa
Vidéos savoir-faire / interviews. Crédits : Louis Vuitton & Piotr Stoklosa
The dragon (and the clouds surrounding it) is engraved and finished with a range of polished and matte surfaces in order to bring out the details of this legendary animal. Its scales are enamelled, with the lower half of its body distinguished by the use of paillonné enamel. This extremely rare form of enamel contains tiny pieces of gold leaf (known as paillons) suspended between layers of translucent enamel, and is one of the most delicate decorative techniques used in watchmaking. Yellow-gold Monogram flower paillons adorn the scales of the dragon, gleaming against a black enamel background, while larger rose-gold Monogram flowers are applied on the dial.
Echoing the carnelian-set GLV monogram, the dragon’s eye glows bright red with secret knowledge, a cabochon-cut ruby held in place with a fold of the dragon’s yellow-gold eyelid. Both damascening and paillonné enamel are strongly resonant with the dragon as a symbol of power and wisdom, being techniques that were considered lost arts before modern artisans were able to recover and revive them.
These techniques now lie securely within the expertise of Louis Vuitton, as secure as the GLV monogram gripped in the dragon’s claws.
