THE VALLEE DE JOUX COMES TO VENICE.
Jaeger-LeCoultre has put all its mechanical and artistic expertise into supporting an Italian architectural gem.
The Vallée de Joux watchmaker has a close bond to the fabulous Venetian city. It has sponsored the annual Venice Film Festival that began in 1932 for a decade and Jaeger-LeCoultre is a patron of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco whose renovation it is funding. The 16th century building played host to a congregation of wealthy people to protect the most destitute and combat illness such as the plague. It is now under renovation so to support the restoration of this architectural masterpiece home to an amazing collection of work by Tintoretto (1518-1594) among others, the watch brand has put its incredible artistic expertise into a unique piece: the Reverso Grande Taille Scuola Grande di San Rocco.
Built between 1545 and 1550, the marble staircase taking pride of place in the Scuola di San Rocco (patron saint of pilgrims and protector of man and beast against illness) inspired the stunning miniature artwork on this Reverso. The stone construction is depicted in enamel playing on incredible contrasts and nuances. The artist has used few colours and put all his talent into faithfully reproducing the marble right down to its texture on a small “canvas”. It took over 3 weeks of work, 30-odd drying and 15 firing sessions to bring to life this miniature painting using enamel, a traditional decorative art that Jaeger-LeCoultre is an expert in.
A photo of the Reverso Grande Taille Scuola Grande di San Rocco posted on the watchmaker’s Facebook page in early September raised 15,000 EUR for the building’s renovation. Every time the image got a “Like” for that week, Jaeger-LeCoultre made a donation.
This miniature painting appears on the back of a Reverso Grande Taille yellow gold 42.2x26mm case. The hours and minutes on the dial are fuelled by a manual wind JLC822 mechanical calibre.
Unique piece
By Sharmila Bertin