Contemporary jewellery artist Anna Hu has reached a significant milestone in her career. Four of her remarkable creations have been added to the permanent collections of prestigious museums in London, Moscow, Paris, and Boston.
The key piece in Hu’s achievement is her Enchanted White Lily bangle, which now graces the British Museum’s collection. Alongside this stunning bracelet in London, other pieces include a breathtaking brooch in Boston, a magnificent hand jewel in Paris, and another exquisite brooch in Moscow.
The Enchanted White Lily bangle features a 30.48-carat natural rubellite at its center, surrounded by rock crystal-infused yellow enamel stamens and lustrous silver petals. A delicate “stem” made from gold, brass, and silver wraps around the wrist. The piece draws inspiration from Qing dynasty Chinese flower paintings by Yun Shouping and Schumann’s A Poet’s Love, Op. 48-111. Jessica Harrison-Hall, curator at the British Museum, has described it as a modern take on 19th-century court jewellery.
Hu’s rising global recognition continues to grow with the British Museum acquisition, following the inclusion of her Enchanted Ania brooch in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The brooch blends naturalism in jewellery with bold design and innovative materials, taking inspiration from Zhang Daqian’s Orchid painting. Its petals are crafted from titanium, and its stamens are adorned with spinels, while the leaf shapes evoke Chinese calligraphy.
In 2021, Hu’s Yin Yang hand ornament was added to the permanent collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Originally created for American artist Cindy Sherman in 2010, the piece features two gem-encrusted snakes symbolizing the East and West. They bite an onyx and white mother-of-pearl yin-yang stone while wrapping around the wrist.
In 2018, Hu made history by becoming the first Asian contemporary jewellery artist to have her signature piece acquired by Moscow’s State Historical Museum. The China Red Magpie brooch features over 500 gems, including sapphires, rubies, and a South Sea pearl, set in a vibrant display of flowers and white gold branches. This piece draws inspiration from Immortal Blossoms in an Everlasting Spring, a painting by Jesuit artist Giuseppe Castiglione, who worked in the Qing imperial court.
All four pieces share a common theme: a blend of antiquity and modernity, East and West, with Hu’s deep scholarly knowledge and artistic vision reflected in each work.
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