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拍品专文
For over a century, the panther has endured as a timeless and iconic motif for the house of Cartier. It wasn’t until 1914 when Louis Cartier requested an invitation for his jewelry exhibition and commissioned artist Geroge Barbier to create what soon pioneered an integral part of the maison. The elegant invitation displayed Lady With a Panther, a woman in a white gown, draped with pearls and a black panther resting at her feet. This illustration was the initial moment clients of the French house saw the iconic cat associated with the house. In that same year, the spotted pattern was featured on a lady’s wristwatch created by diamonds and onyx mimicking the big cat’s fur. The exotic creature took Paris by storm, a sign of elegance and fierce femininity.
The panther’s association with Cartier deepened in 1933, when French jewelry and fashion designer Jeanne Toussaint was appointed Artistic Director of High Jewely. Louis Cartier fondly nicknamed her ‘La Panthère’, a nod to her long panther fur coat as well as her fierce determination and sharp intellect. At a time when few women held such influential positions in the industry, Toussaint quickly proved why she deserved the role. Her artistic vision transformed the panther from a decorative motif into a defining signature of the maison, ultimately making the feline an integral part of Cartier’s identity.
The panther, whose sleek silhouette lends itself perfectly to jewelry design, evokes and exploration of form and line. Its elegant, slender profile is endlessly adaptable, able to shift between realism and abstraction. The panther lots included in Modern Icons: Jewels from an Important Family are a perfect example of this versatility. Lot 38 features a miniature panther suspended on an onyx link plays with geometry and movement, while Lot 35 captures the creature in its most classic, naturalistic form. Lot 34 reveals how effortlessly the panther curves around the finger, its fluid silhouette emphasizing Cartier’s mastery of movement in design. Completing the ensemble is Lot 36, an elegant necklace that evokes the big cat’s fur, distilling its iconic spotted pattern into an abstract, modern interpretation of the emblematic creature.
The panther remains a captivating emblem of Cartier’s Savoir Faire, uniting iconic heritage with a spirit of fierce femininity. These jewels showcase the full scope of the Panthère’s evolution, revealing diverse interpretations of a timeless symbol shaped by Cartier’s exceptional artistry.
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Christie’s is honored to present Modern Icons: Jewels from an Important Family Collection, an iconic collection featuring exquisite colored gemstones and contemporary masterpieces from distinguished jewelry maisons including Bulgari, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. Assembled by a single family over the past thirty years, this collection marks one of the most substantial displays of contemporary high jewelry to be presented at auction.
The Modern Icons collection reflects a refined dialogue between heritage and modernity, shaped by the discerning vision of the collectors’ whose taste gravitates towards contemporary expression with bold elegance. Drawn to the clean lines and imaginative use of color that defines the great jewelers of today, the collectors have assembled a group of jewels that speaks not only to detailed craftsmanship, but to a distinct modern sensibility.
Bulgari, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels each are houses long celebrated for their designers’ ability to reinterpret tradition through a contemporary lens. The bold use of color and volume of the various colored gemstone cabochons in Lot 41, a Bulgari Multi-Gem and Diamond Necklace, harkens back to the ‘La Dolce Vita’ jewelry of the 1950s and 1960s, a period for which Bulgari’s innovation is highly regarded. Since its launch in 1914, Cartier’s ‘Panthère’ collection has been a mainstay for the house. With this collection featuring a ‘Panthère’ ring, brooch, pair of earrings and two necklaces, it is clear that the dynamic motif, both in figural and abstracted forms, appealed to the collectors. One of the most precise skills of the master jewelers at Van Cleef & Arpels is the ‘Mystery-set’ technique, first developed in the 1930s and seen in Lot 32, a contemporary ‘Between the Finger’ ring. The collectors’ understanding and appreciation for quality extended to colored stones as seen in Lot 39, featuring an exceptional Colombian emerald of 12.89 carats.
The resulting collection is a vibrant ensemble of jewels by various maisons united by a shared aesthetic of clarity, confidence and modern allure. Defined by saturated colors and use of iconic motifs in imaginative presentations, Modern Icons: Jewels From an Important Family Collection reimagines the codes of the past for a new era of collectors who value legacy and individuality.
The panther’s association with Cartier deepened in 1933, when French jewelry and fashion designer Jeanne Toussaint was appointed Artistic Director of High Jewely. Louis Cartier fondly nicknamed her ‘La Panthère’, a nod to her long panther fur coat as well as her fierce determination and sharp intellect. At a time when few women held such influential positions in the industry, Toussaint quickly proved why she deserved the role. Her artistic vision transformed the panther from a decorative motif into a defining signature of the maison, ultimately making the feline an integral part of Cartier’s identity.
The panther, whose sleek silhouette lends itself perfectly to jewelry design, evokes and exploration of form and line. Its elegant, slender profile is endlessly adaptable, able to shift between realism and abstraction. The panther lots included in Modern Icons: Jewels from an Important Family are a perfect example of this versatility. Lot 38 features a miniature panther suspended on an onyx link plays with geometry and movement, while Lot 35 captures the creature in its most classic, naturalistic form. Lot 34 reveals how effortlessly the panther curves around the finger, its fluid silhouette emphasizing Cartier’s mastery of movement in design. Completing the ensemble is Lot 36, an elegant necklace that evokes the big cat’s fur, distilling its iconic spotted pattern into an abstract, modern interpretation of the emblematic creature.
The panther remains a captivating emblem of Cartier’s Savoir Faire, uniting iconic heritage with a spirit of fierce femininity. These jewels showcase the full scope of the Panthère’s evolution, revealing diverse interpretations of a timeless symbol shaped by Cartier’s exceptional artistry.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Christie’s is honored to present Modern Icons: Jewels from an Important Family Collection, an iconic collection featuring exquisite colored gemstones and contemporary masterpieces from distinguished jewelry maisons including Bulgari, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. Assembled by a single family over the past thirty years, this collection marks one of the most substantial displays of contemporary high jewelry to be presented at auction.
The Modern Icons collection reflects a refined dialogue between heritage and modernity, shaped by the discerning vision of the collectors’ whose taste gravitates towards contemporary expression with bold elegance. Drawn to the clean lines and imaginative use of color that defines the great jewelers of today, the collectors have assembled a group of jewels that speaks not only to detailed craftsmanship, but to a distinct modern sensibility.
Bulgari, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels each are houses long celebrated for their designers’ ability to reinterpret tradition through a contemporary lens. The bold use of color and volume of the various colored gemstone cabochons in Lot 41, a Bulgari Multi-Gem and Diamond Necklace, harkens back to the ‘La Dolce Vita’ jewelry of the 1950s and 1960s, a period for which Bulgari’s innovation is highly regarded. Since its launch in 1914, Cartier’s ‘Panthère’ collection has been a mainstay for the house. With this collection featuring a ‘Panthère’ ring, brooch, pair of earrings and two necklaces, it is clear that the dynamic motif, both in figural and abstracted forms, appealed to the collectors. One of the most precise skills of the master jewelers at Van Cleef & Arpels is the ‘Mystery-set’ technique, first developed in the 1930s and seen in Lot 32, a contemporary ‘Between the Finger’ ring. The collectors’ understanding and appreciation for quality extended to colored stones as seen in Lot 39, featuring an exceptional Colombian emerald of 12.89 carats.
The resulting collection is a vibrant ensemble of jewels by various maisons united by a shared aesthetic of clarity, confidence and modern allure. Defined by saturated colors and use of iconic motifs in imaginative presentations, Modern Icons: Jewels From an Important Family Collection reimagines the codes of the past for a new era of collectors who value legacy and individuality.