Recently, Girard-Perregaux commissioned renowned Lebanese artist Hussein
Madi to collaborate on two miniature masterpieces of art to be housed
within watches from their 1966 collection. Each watch, one in white
gold and the other in rose gold, are unique and elaborate pieces of
marquetry and painting on mother-of-pearl.
Below is the white gold variant of the watch.
The pink gold version is subtly more feminine with its bright colors and gem-set bezel and hour markers.
The
artistic inspiration for these two watches is the ancient Greek myth
about the abduction of Europa. As Girard-Perregaux tells it, in Greek
mythology, Europa is the Princess of the Phoenician city of Tyre (in
what is now present-day Lebanon). As legend goes, Europa met Zeus --
having taken the form of a white bull, on a beach in Sidon. Europa is
lured into approaching the bull by the sweet scent of crocuses on his
breath. The princess caresses the bull's flanks, and unwisely mounts
the animal, who then carries her off on his back to the island of
Crete. There, under an evergreen plane tree, Zeus regained human form
and seduced Europa.
Madi's painting of the Europa myth has been
selected by Manufacture Girard-Perregaux to decorate two 1966
collection watches. The watches were presented exclusively at the
Beirut Contemporary Art Fair, known as MENASART Fair, in collaboration
with Girard-Perregaux's partner in Lebanon, CHRONORA.
About The Artist
Hussein
Madi was born in 1938 in the Lebanese village of Chebaa. Drawing,
painting, sculpture, engraving, graphics, illustration, ceramics,
mosaics, caricature – Madi has always sought to expand his artistic
creativity. At 20, he enrolled in the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts and
from 1963 continued his training in Italy, at the Fine Arts Academies of
Rome and San Giacomo.
Civil war broke out in Lebanon in 1975
and Madi pursued his career in both Rome and Beirut, teaching art at the
Fine Arts Institute of the University of Lebanon and the Lebanese
Academy of Fine Arts. He made Beirut his permanent home in 1986.
Madi
has exhibited around the world, with more than 50 exhibitions devoted
to him, and his work can be found today in important public institutions
such as the British Museum in London, as well as in private
collections.
His artistic style is all about shapes and colors,
with echoes of his predecessors, Matisse and Picasso, as well as the
principles of divine harmony that underpin the abstract designs of
Islamic art. In either two or three dimensions, his lines display a
spontaneous freedom behind which can be observed the precision that he
brings to each of his works. Meticulousness and sensuality are the
hallmarks of everything he creates, inspired by a deep belief in a
divine universal order in which every single thing is different but
composed of the same cosmic elements.
Our friends at
Girard-Perregaux were kind enough to supply many photos showcasing the
elaborate making-of process for the dials on the 1966 Madi watches.
Steps in the creation of the mother-of-pearl marquetry below.
- Inspecting the mauve-colored mother-of-pearl.
- Checking the extra-white mother-of-pearl. It's so white, it's practically invisible in the picture!
- In this step the GP craftsman checks the thickness of the mother-of-pearl discs.
-
Preparing the mother-of-pearl discs for polishing. The discs are so
thin they must be temporarily glued to a base so as not to move during
the polishing process.
- Polishing the mother-of-pearl discs.
- Removing the mother-of-pearl discs from the polishing base.
- Cleaning impurities from the mother-of-pearl discs with a blade and eraser.
- Bringing the bull to life, using an engraving technique called "chasing."
- Here you can see Madi's rendering of the bull and Europa, as compared to the carved mother-of-pearl.
- Cutting the white mother-of-pearl and finishing all the details by hand.
- Varnishing the mauve mother-of-pearl, while maintaining close attention to the colors Madi has used in his original work.
- Cleaning the varnished mother-of-pearl.
- Tints are mixed for the white mother-of-pearl dial on plates of glass in order to achieve the proper hue.
-
Each element of Madi's design is outlined in white to increase
luminosity on the dial. The white is transferred to the design using a
pad-printing technique.
- The Girard-Perregaux logo is similarly transferred to the mother-of-pearl dial using a pad-printing technique.
- Final assembly of the three marquetry pieces by hand using adhesive.
I
really enjoyed what Hussein Madi had to say about his collaboration
with Girard-Perregaux: "We are all born at a certain time and we must
leave this world at a certain time (which we do not know). The period
between our birth and our death is Time. Our approach to this ending, I
believe, explains the social and cultural developments in the world. If
we do not respect it we cannot succeed. Wristwatches count down the
seconds, minutes and hours that constitute our Time. Those who do not
accept this are, as a result, unreliable people. Our daily life is
organised around time. My time, or anyone else's time, must not be
wasted…It has been a pleasure for me to create something for
Girard-Perregaux. Elegance and advanced technology come together and a
pure design was appropriate to add artistic value to the piece. Time is
precious and so are the watches."
Well said, Mr. Madi.
Thanks
to Girard-Perregaux for all the photos detailing the creation of these
beautiful pieces of miniature art. Specifications for both watches
follow.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Girard-Perregaux 1966, unique piece in white gold
Case in white gold
Diameter: 40.00 mm
Height: 10.13 mm
Case-back: non-reflective sapphire
Water resistance: 30 metres
Girard-Perregaux GP03000-0060
Mechanical movement with automatic winding
Calibre: 11½’’’
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)
Jewels: 32
Power reserve: minimum of 46 hours
Functions: hours, minutes
Dial of marquetry and painting on mother-of-pearl, after "The abduction of Europa" by Hussein Madi.
Strap in black alligator
Pin buckle: white gold
~
Girard-Perregaux 1966, unique piece in pink gold
Case in pink gold set with 68 diamonds (~1.50 ct)
Diameter: 40.00 mm
Height: 10.13 mm
Case-back: non-reflective sapphire
Water resistance: 30 metres
Girard-Perregaux GP03000-0060
Mechanical movement with automatic winding
Calibre: 11½’’’
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)
Jewels: 32
Power reserve: minimum of 46 hours
Functions: Hour, minute
Dial of marquetry and painting on mother-of-pearl, after "The abduction of Europa" by Hussein Madi.
Strap in white alligator
Pin buckle: pink gold
Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Daos