ometimes the earth remains silent for more than two millennia, then suddenly yields beneath the blade of a plough to reveal a treasure. That is exactly what happened in the Tarn and more specifically in Montans one day in 1843, when a gold object emerged from the ground: a heavy, luminous, twisted ornament featuring daintily embellished cone-shaped terminals. Worn by Celts at the base of the neck, this rigid collar had remained buried since the third century BCE. The priceless artefact was described in detail in 1853, before vanishing until it reappeared at auction in 1958 and was acquired in 1959 by the National Antiquities Museum, now the National Archaeology Museum, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where it is kept.
This torque dates from the La Tène period, the second European Iron Age (450-25 BCE), when almost entirely pure gold was crafted with astonishing virtuosity. The Torque of Montans, a perfectly regular-shaped twisted band, features two conical terminals adorned with stylised floral motifs. Each bud seems ready to bloom. But how could a goldsmith have produced work as delicate as this over two thousand years ago?
Following the artisans of the past
Solving this enigma called for more than mere contemplation: action was required to rediscover the original technique in order to reproduce the object. It was this spirit that led L’École, School of Jewellery Arts—founded in 2012 and supported by Van Cleef & Arpels—to join forces with the Montans Archaeological Centre and the National Archaeology Museum, along with Barbara Armbruster, a research director at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), to embark upon an experimental archaeology project.
An initial attempt at reconstructing the torque in 2013 was inconclusive. The project resumed in 2022 thanks to the expertise of goldsmith Antoine Legouy, a master chaser and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, and Grégory Weinstock, Van Cleef & Arpels’ Director of High Jewellery Métiers. But how does one engage with the Celtic artisans of the past? Antoine Legouy admits to having reflected on the challenge by “putting himself in their shoes” and “following in their footsteps” in order to rediscover forgotten techniques. Conceptualising form through movement is core to his approach.
A replica in 24k fine gold
The first attempts were made in copper, a material with a malleability similar to that of gold, but the metal tore and the boxwood counter-form broke. Was the mystery of how the Torque of Montans was made to remain unsolved? Barbara Armbruster’s knowledge of a discovery in Spain would help solve the puzzle. Archaeologists had uncovered the grave of an Iberian goldsmith and warrior from the fourth century BCE. As well as his weapons, this ancient artisan had been buried with his tools. They included weights and scales, a hammer, an anvil, dies, chisels, ornamental punches, pliers for bending gold wire, bronze blowpipes for heating and softening gold and, the key to the enigma, evidence of a tar-like material made from organic matter, crushed brick and tallow, very similar to the pitch that today’s jewellers and goldsmiths use to hold a workpiece firmly but supplely in place.
The founding principle of the craft was thus recaptured. Attempts to reconstruct the torque continued using copper, then silver, but the material was too inflexible to achieve the delicate rendering of the Torque of Montans. It soon became clear that any reproduction of the torque would have to be in the same 24k fine gold used by the Celts. The gold dictated its own pace at every stage, tolerating neither rough treatment nor rough approximations.
It was this replica that was presented at Le geste retrouvé, reconstitution du torque celte de Montans, the exhibition organised by L’École, School of Jewellery Arts with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels in Lyon last November, as part of the de Mains en mains initiative. “Reproduced through collaboration between goldsmiths and jewellers, this piece vividly demonstrates that these hands are more precious than ever. The constantly evolving de Mains en mains programme nurtures dialogue between past, present and future, serving as a channel to perpetuate our jewellery arts”, said Van Cleef & Arpels’ President and CEO, Catherine Renier.
As exhibition curator Emmanuelle Amiot explains, “What most strikes me about this experience is the contribution of crafts to our understanding of the object. Research cannot do without artisans. The manual intelligence and knowledge of those who practise these skills are decisive and complement academic erudition—and vice versa. This exchange enriches art history and archaeology, in turn embedding arts and techniques in the long arc of history.”
The Torque of Montans is no longer merely an object unearthed in 1843. It has become a bridge between the third century BCE and the present day; between anonymous Celtic artisans and contemporary goldsmiths; between researchers and the general public. It has found its way through the centuries and, in the dense light of gold, reminds us that transmission is not nostalgia: it is a responsibility we must shoulder if we wish the beauty of fine craftsmanship to endure.
