A JEWELLED GOLD, ENAMEL AND HARDSTONE VANITY CASE, STRAUSS, ALLARD & MEYER, POSSIBLY RETAILED BY VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, PARIS, CIRCA 1930 | A jewelled gold, enamel and hardstone vanity case, Strauss, Allard & Meyer, possibly retailed by van Cleef & Arpels, Paris, circa 1930

rectangular with rounded corners, the black onyx top and base with a gold and black zig zag border continuing to the sides, the rose diamond-bordered central panel applied with sugarloaf cabochon emeralds and rubies, chased gold flower garlands with diamond-set stars to both sides, small pear-shaped ruby cabochons within an ogee shaped rose diamond border, the ruby-set sides centred by a small emerald, one as a thumbpiece, the interior fitted with a mirror, two powder compartments and a lipstick holder, maker's mark, post 1919 eagle head standard mark, the inside of the lid with the serial number: 28774, the rims of each lid of the powder compartments and the base of the lipstick container struck with the serial number: 7246, associated leather case

Overall very good condition. A few minute surface scratches to the gold lining. One rose diamond on the end of the fine border on the lid missing.Total weight 332.6 g.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. 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 any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

‘For many years I have been anticipating the jewel needs of smart women, because as you probably realise, jewels follow fashions just as clothes... I often wondered why women accepted the evening bag – a shapeless, impractical object which often destroyed the effect of their gowns,… a bag shaped like plum-pudding. This creation is one of the most successful I have ever presented - the minaudière. Women wear it from 5 pm to 5 am. For smart teas, cocktails, little dinners, it adds just that quietly luxurious note’, explained Alfred van Cleef in 1935 (The Tatler, no. 1768, 15 May, 1935). In the same year, the minaudière was patented by van Cleef & Arpels, founded in 1896 in Paris by Alfred van Cleef and his father-in-law, Salomon Arpels. Allegedly, the source of its name was Estelle, van Arpel’s wife, whose ‘minauderies’ (French for ‘mannerisms’) enchanted everyone.
Other jewellers, however, such as Cartier and Boucheron, had naturally realised the demand for vanity cases, such as the present lot, at the same time. Jewelled vanity cases of precious materials had in fact been created since the 1920s, parallel to the broader proliferation of cosmetics such as powder and lipstick. These very elegant vanity cases and powder compacts from the 1920s and 1930s reflect the fashions of the period, combining geometric Art Deco forms with Japanese, Indian or Oriental ornaments. Created in gold, diamonds and hardstones, with ‘exotic’ materials such as jade, corals and lacquer, all were carefully composed as exquisite portable small objects of vertu ‘which smart women like’.
Despite its rather small size - compared with the ideal size of a minaudière, which according to Alfred van Arpels measured 5 inches by 4 ½ inches - it is possible that the vanity case in the present lot was retailed by van Cleef & Arpels. A very similar vanity case, also with the maker's mark of Strauss, Allard & Meyer, signed 'van Cleef & Arpels Paris' on the left side of the rim, was sold at Christie's Geneva, 13 November 2017, lot 81. That example was of similar size and was engraved with the van Cleef & Arpels serial number: 7240 on the underside of the lipstick holder, while the present vanity case is engraved with the serial number: 7246 in the same font in the identical place. The signed example was also struck with the Strauss, Allard and Meyer serial number: 28937 on the top right side of the lid, while the one in the present lot is stamped: 28774.