Property of the Family of the Original Owner
Cartier
A nephrite, coral and gold paperweight desk clock with calendar | Circa 1925
Lot Closed
May 13, 01:49 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 20,000 CHF
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
Dial: silvered matte and engine-turned dial signed Cartier, black Roman numerals, gold hands heightened with blue champlevé enamel, days of the week above with separate apertures to the base for date and month, displayed in English
Calibre: manual winding
Case: rectangular case of nephrite, gold bezel with inset engine-turned banded detailing, coral cabochons to case sides, four crowns to gilded back plate for manual advancement of calendar indications, further crown for hands with winder, reverse with easel support
Case number: 0617, stamped at lower edge of back case
Size: 70 x 111 (width x length)
Signed: case
Box: no
Papers: no
Accessories: none
Endangered Species
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Soon after joining the family firm in 1898, Louis Cartier made the decision to expand Cartier’s offerings to include table and desk clocks. Beside the cube and arch-form clocks, the Maison developed in the 1920's some specific desk clocks with a triple calendar complication.
Bolder shapes and strong contrasts became a hallmark of Cartier’s design vocabulary, with the interplay of materials used to enhance the dramatic, architectural quality of their timepieces. This bold juxtaposition was not only visually arresting but also aligned with the Maison’s broader embrace of luxurious minimalism, where carefully selected materials and precise craftsmanship elevated simple geometric forms into objects of exceptional elegance.
This piece combines the signature materials used by Cartier at the time, including nephrite, coral, gold as well as beautiful Art deco style hands.
Recently rediscovered in a private family, this desk clock has been preserved in most attractive condition and is a beautiful testament of Cartier's virtuosity and craftmanship.
A very similar example is illustrated in Jader Barracca, Giampiero Negretti, Franco Nencini, Le Temps de Cartier, Milan: Publiprom, Second Edition, 1993, p. 177.