AGATE, SAPPHIRE AND ENAMEL VANITY CASE, CARTIER, CIRCA 1910

Of rectangular outline, the top and base set with panels of polished agate, the sides applied with blue and green guilloché enamel bordered with white enamel, the push piece set with a cabochon sapphire, opening to reveal lidded powder and lipstick compartments with a hinged brush holder and detachable lipstick holder, a mirror, a notepad fitting and pencil, and a calling card clip, measuring approximately 89 x 64 x 19mm, signed Cartier, numbered, French assay and maker's marks.

Signed Cartier Paris, numbered 1867, to interior edge of box and lid respectively, stamped with French assay marks for 18 carat gold. Stamped with maker's marks LH with four-leafed clover for Henri Lavabre. Guilloché enamel overall in good condition, with some light scratches and areas of minor pitting and minor colour bleeding from the firing process. Sapphire mid blue, transparent, good saturation, with typical inclusions visible under magnification, some surface-reaching with associated minor chipping, several small areas of wear to surface. Pushpiece in good working order, closing securely. Hinge fitting in good working order. Hinged compartment lids, lipstick and brush holder all in good working order. Brush holder fitted with cork, brush deficient. Scrolled open work holster for lipstick with minor break to one corner, otherwise intact. Lidded lipstick holder intact, with additional French assay and maker's marks. Mirror in good condition, some areas of minor discolouration. Pencil intact, with retractable lead and additional French assay and maker's marks. Hinged calling card clip with good tension. Agate pale bluish-grey with orange translucency, banded structure visible, in good condition, with some very minor chips to edges towards the corners. Overall in very good condition, with light scratches and areas of minor discolouration commensurate with age and use. Gross weight approximately 243 grams. For further information please contact the department on +44 (0)207 293 6409. Please note Condition 11 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that colour, clarity and weight of gemstones are statements of opinion only and not statements of fact by Sotheby's. We do not guarantee, and are not responsible for any certificate from a gemological laboratory that may accompany the property. We do not guarantee that watches are in working order. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue, in particular to the Notice regarding the treatment and condition of gemstones.
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The present vanity case is an excellent example of the influence that the Russian jewellers Fabergé had on Cartier in the opening years of the 20th century. Fabergé's enviable genius for objets d'art was something that Cartier endeavoured to rival, and from around 1904-5, Pierre Cartier started visiting Russia, importing Russian objects for sale, and building up a network of Russian workshops and suppliers, some of which were also affiliated with Fabergé. By 1906, Cartier were making their own objects in the Russian taste, and exhibiting regularly at a rented premises in St Petersburg from 1907. The guilloché enamel border on this vanity case is particularly illustrative of Cartier's efforts to absorb the fashionable Russian style. Fabergé's guilloché, or engine-turned, enamel was a cornerstone of their aesthetic, painstakingly built up layer on layer to achieve a perfect combination of translucency and colour saturation, which shimmered when applied over a finely engraved metal ground. Their colour palette was astonishingly sophisticated, with as many as 144 distinct shades available. While Cartier's colour palette never reached this complexity, their combinations were attractive and distinctive, such as the blue/green combination bordered in white, as seen in the present lot. This fine work was made possible by the enamel workshop of Henri Lavabre, who was based on Rue Tinquetonne, and was employed exclusively by Cartier from 1906 to 1921. His maker's mark, the initials H.L flanking a four-leaf clover, can be seen stamped in multiple places across the interior of the present piece. This vanity case, with its delicate colour scheme and intricate workmanship, speaks of a highly refined aesthetic that was brutally cut short by the first world war and the Russian revolution. However, the influence of Russia on Cartier and European jewellery in general was far from over. The bold designs and bright colour schemes of the Ballets Russes were already sowing the seeds of an entirely different aesthetic, which lead to some of Cartier's greatest works in the following decades. Cf.: Judy Rudoe, Cartier 1900-1939, The British Museum, London, 1997, pg. 110 no.43, for an additional guilloché enamel vanity case made by Lavabre for Cartier Paris, dated 1907.

Hans Nadelhoffer, Cartier, London, 2007, pg. 114-113, for more information on Cartier's Russian-style jewels.