The Scuola Grande di San Rocco |
For over a decade, Jaeger-LeCoultre has forged
strong ties with Venice based on a love of the arts and the conservation of
cultural heritage. Not only is it a partner to the Mostra, Venice’s
International Film Festival, it has also become patron of the Scuola Grande di
San Rocco - a unique place that is close to the hearts of all Venetians – and
has sponsored restoration work there since 2013. During the 73rd Mostra, the “Grande
Maison” will give all visitors a chance to take part in an initiative to
increase its donations to this exceptional building.
Special Reverso displayed during the 73rd Mostra |
Safeguarding Heritage
All you have to do is to draw a heart, one that reflects
your style and inspires you. By sketching this symbol in a digital guestbook,
every visitor to the Jaeger-LeCoultre reception and exhibition area on the Lido
triggers a donation by the maison toward the restoration of the Scuola Grande
di San Rocco. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ambassador Carmen Chaplin, the first to take
part in the project, drew a heart that was engraved on the back of a Reverso
watch and will be displayed for the occasion. In this way, visitors and friends
of the brand are invited to express their support for Jaeger-LeCoultre’s values
and to promote conservation of the heritage of this exceptional building, which
never fails to captivate all those who enter it.
Preserving the Legacy of Time
The supremely opulent Scuola Grande di San
Rocco, built as an institution, is unique for its peerless collection of
paintings by Tintoretto (1518-1594). Located in the San Polo district of
Venice, the fraternity was founded in 1478 and dedicated to Saint Roch, patron
saint of the plague-stricken, to fight epidemics and bring succor to the diseased
population. Thanks to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s patronage, visitors can now benefit from
improvements to the lighting that showcases Tintoretto’s highly light sensitive
works to perfection. A new LED system - projecting fewer of the infrared and ultraviolet
rays causing colors to deteriorate over time - has been installed in the Sala dell’Albergo.
Stone doorway restoration at Scuola Grande di San Rocco |
The second part of the sponsorship program
concerns the Scuola’s marbles, in particular those in the Sala Capitolare and
on the impressive portal leading to the imperial staircase, which are being
restored with meticulous care. This requires passionate craftsmanship and
unparalleled patience and attention to detail, bringing to mind the watchmakers
of the Vallée de Joux who work each day to breathe new life into exceptional
timepieces.
The Art of Restoration
Preserving and passing on heritage are
fundamental values for Jaeger-LeCoultre. The manufacture sets great store by
protecting not only natural world heritage sites, as through its collaboration
with UNESCO, but also artistic heritage, demonstrated by its support for the
restoration of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco.
Restoring Zélie LeCoultre's watch. |
Caring for the legacy created by
skilled and talented craftsmen in order to pass it on to future generations is
a natural choice for a maison with such a rich and precious heritage as Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Each day in its ateliers, expert artisans restore timepieces from the past to their
former glory, working not only on the mechanisms but also the métiers rares
of gem setting, enameling and engraving. The manufacture provides this repair
service for all watches and clocks ever made there, in keeping with the
principle of absolute respect for the piece's history and integrity. It even
goes so far as to reproduce watch components which are no longer made, using
original drawings. This unique expertise is key to passing on watchmaking
heritage and techniques.
Zélie LeCoultre's pendant watch. |
Zélie LeCoultre’s Watch
During the Mostra, the maison will exhibit
pictures of the recent restoration of a remarkable pendant watch designed by Antoine
LeCoultre, the manufacture’s founder, for his wife Zélie LeCoultre. It was the
first model to feature an ingenious invention by Antoine: the crown winding
system for setting the time and winding the watch that replaced the key that
had previously been required. The Grande Maison’s master watchmakers have given
a new lease of life to this watch, which bears the following inscription by
Zélie’s grandson Jacques-David LeCoultre on the caseback: Souvenir de ma
chère grand-mère Zélie LeCoultre (In memory of my dear grandmother, Zélie LeCoultre).
This is a heartfelt tribute that reflects Jaeger
LeCoultre’s involvement in conserving the heritage of the city of the Doges.
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