The British Museum

The Chinese Jade Gallery

The Chinese Jade Gallery of the British Museum contains objects from the Neolithic Age to the 19th century and illustrates the history of this exotic precious stone, long appreciated for its beauty and its magical properties and used by skilled Chinese craftsmen to create ornaments, ceremonial weapons, and ritual objects.

Exhibition design: Geoffrey Pickup, The British Museum Design Office, London

The challenge

The project design called for a seamless display environment 27 meters in length, front accessed, with only the glass face visible as a case structure. There were architectural and structural challenges that needed to be addressed without impacting the core window unto the collection concept.

The solution

For the Jade Gallery, Goppion engineered a single display case, devoid of visible interior dividers or structure that could be suspended within the gallery wall. A series of doors are mounted on concealed four-bar hinges with specially configured gaskets sealing them against the rear face. Wood cladding surrounds the case, unifying the display environment and highlighting the linear organization of the exhibition’s content.