As part of the ongoing Le French May celebrations, an exhibition titled French Belle Epoque was held in Hong Kong recently, where French masterpieces from the 19^th century were put on display. The La Belle Epoque period, which literally means “a beautiful era”, was a period of peace and culture in France between the Prussian War of 1871 and World War I in 1914.

Renowned collector Sandrine Souchon displayed her private collection of rare 19^th-century decorative masterpieces by famous French maisons. One notable feature is that most of the artefacts are studded with malachite, crystal or lapis lazuli, which seem to have been the favoured gems of the Belle Epoque period.

Souchon has been an avid art collector and aficionado for over three decades. Her collection boasts monumental sculptures, rare furniture and unique artworks from across the world.

The exhibition was visited by art connoisseurs like Diana Zhang, William and Priscilla Chak, Robert and Sally Lo, French designer Zhor Tiber, Hong Kong Cancer Fund founder Peter Matthewson and Le French May organisers Julian-Loic Garin and Andrew Yuen.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay