Bejewelled movement and music turn the act of telling time into a performance.
What does it take to turn the simple act of telling time into a performance? For Van Cleef & Arpels, the answer was unveiled in Paris as part of its Extraordinary Objects collection, a series created to reimagine how we experience the passage of time. Their sculptural new Brassée de Lavande automaton continues the maison’s tradition of marrying mechanical innovation with the art of storytelling.
The Brassée de Lavande was developed in Van Cleef & Arpels’ Sainte-Croix workshop, a place dedicated to the maison’s automata. Years of experimentation were required to achieve organic movement, ensuring that the lavender stems opened in fluid arcs and that the butterfly’s flight appeared lifelike.
At first glance, the piece resembles a bouquet of lavender, with 36 sprigs complete with green leaves and blue blossoms in lacquered rose gold. But a mechanical theatre is concealed under this vegetal dome and, when activated, the bouquet sways open to reveal a butterfly. The insect flutters upward in a spiral motion, accompanied by the sound of a carillon melody, before returning to the heart of the bouquet, which slowly closes again.
The automaton measures approximately 27 centimetres in height and 21.5 centimetres in width. While modest in scale, it makes use of a surprising number of technical and artistic disciplines. Its base is composed of verdite and howlite, two decorative stones that have been carefully cut and polished to reveal their natural veining. The fluttering butterfly has been crafted from diamonds, tiger’s eye and plique-à-jour enamel — a labour-intensive technique in which translucent enamel is fired within a gold framework, creating a stained-glass effect. The lavender sprigs were shaped by hand and lacquered using an airbrush process. Multiple layers of pigment were applied, sanded and polished before a glaze was added to complete the surface. The result is not an exact imitation of nature but a stylized interpretation that places equal emphasis on realism and artistry.
The time is displayed on a rotating ring set with golden beads and diamond hour markers. Two small snails in polished white gold perch on the branches, serving as miniature guardians of the hours. Two independent mechanisms drive the piece — one controls the butterfly and the movement of the bouquet, while the other powers the clock’s display.
Launched in 2017, Van Cleef & Arpels’ Extraordinary Objects collection is dedicated to pieces that translate time through art and movement. The latest automaton follows such earlier creations as the Rêveries de Berylline (2022), which at its centre had a hummingbird poised in mid-flight. Both works reflect the maison’s longstanding interest in flora and fauna as symbols of renewal.
Unlike conventional timepieces, these automata are not intended for the wrist or the pocket. They are objects created to be observed, inviting viewers to slow down and watch a scene unfold. In this way, they extend Van Cleef & Arpels’ idea of the “Poetry of Time,” a concept that frames timekeeping, and time itself, not as a matter of precision alone but as an occasion for wonder.
The Brassée de Lavande automaton is a unique piece and will never be duplicated. But beyond its exclusivity, it demonstrates how luxury houses are investing in projects that preserve rare techniques. Enamel, lacquer, lapidary work and goldsmithing converge here in a mechanical bouquet meant to endure as an heirloom.
For Van Cleef & Arpels, the project underscores a dual mission: to protect traditional métiers d’art and to reimagine them for contemporary audiences. In doing so, the maison proves that timekeeping, when approached with imagination, can be as much about telling a story as it is about the minutes and hours that make up our lives.
