Cartier
Mother of Pearl, Lacquer, Diamond, Coral and Onyx Vanity Case
Lot Closed
November 28, 03:38 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
The case decorated with "lacque burgauté" - black lacquer and tinted mother-of-pearl inlay, the front and back panels each depicting a Chinese scene, within a garden, a bridge and willow tree featured in both, each interior lacquer panel with four inlaid Chinese characters, a coral baton thumb piece to black lacquer and old brilliant-cut diamond collet terminals.
- Measuring 85 x 57 x 14mm
- Signed Cartier Paris, Londres, New York, numbered, maker's mark
- French assay mark
- Circa 1925
- Gross weight approximately 90.0 grams
Sotheby's, New York, 20th April, 2010, lot 492 for a piece of similar design
Olivier Bachet, Alain Cartier, Cartier, Exceptional Objects, p. 295, for similar case and coral thumbpiece
The Chinese scene on the front depicts a government official holding a large fan, attended by two servants in a garden beside a lake or pond. The reverse features a similar scene. The inscription inside reads “Guan shang jia guan” (官上加官), a pun on guan meaning both “hat” and “official,” symbolizing “promotion to higher rank.” The second phrase, “Lian ke ji di” (連科及第), means “within reach” and also plays on the word lian meaning “lotus,” reflected in the depiction of the lotus pond.
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