Sixième Sens par Cartier, Cartier et les Arts d’Islam, MAD

 

Poster by George Barbier

Almost every year jewelers Cartier comes out with a new lush book. This year’s luscious book; 📕 Sixième Sens par Cartier: High Jewelry and Precious Objects by François Chaille has kept me distracted drawing 🐆 panthères, Jeanne Toussant, and multi-colored gem stones.

Jeanne came to Paris at 15 from a family of Belgian lacemakers. Already stylish, chic and charismatic, she met the right people including soon-to-be close friend Coco Chanel and Louis Cartier, who was instantly enthralled. He affectionately called her "Ma petite panthère". Her apartment was filled with animal skins, collected and gifted to her from around the world. She was famously known for wearing a full-length coat made of panther fur 🐆. 

Toussaint was hired by Louis Cartier in 1913 at age 26, the same year he met her, to be in charge of designing accessories (though she could not draw a line). In 1933, Louis made her full artistic director of all Cartier design, a unique position for a woman at that time. She retired in 1970 at age 80.

Cartier’s iconic panther logo evolved from her unique animal obsession and designs. “At the beginning of twentieth century, big cats were en vogue for expressing femininity – in fact, the beast was seen as the ultimate expression of femininity,” Says Geo Cramer.

Her large cat-themed brooches, bracelets, rings were exquisitely made of the finest, most decadent materials. Cartier’s eminent clients (Duchess of Windsor, Marjorie Merriwether Post, Daisy Fellows, Grace Kelly to name a few) adored her panther 🐆 designs.

 

Another of Toussaint’s specialities was art deco geometric jewelry inspired by the Mughuls and the Maharajas designs of India.

Original pieces were brought back, taken apart and put back together with added layers, mixing up many colored stones; rubies, emeralds, sapphires, amethysts.

Cut in the form of flowers and berries, the style was called “Tutti Frutti” and is still an integral part of the Cartier Collection.

Cartier as well was creating opulent pieces for Indian maharajas. Brother Jacques Cartier, who ran the London store, was traveling in the East finding trends and gem sources.

Recently MAD(musee des Arts Decoratifs had an exhibition of Cartier et les Arts d’Islam.

An opportunity to see original Islamic designs side by side 

With many Cartier bracelets, rings, necklaces, tiaras. 

The influence of Persian and Indian opulent geometric patterns 

Is immediately self-evident. 

Colors and patterns of Islamic ornamentation taken from rugs, pottery, decorative tiles, miniatures 

Show up in the design of cabochon emerald necklaces 

And an emerald and diamond belt buckle no less.

Truly an inspiring Aladdin’s treasure trove of splendors, both in the new book, Sixième Sens par Cartier: High Jewelry and Precious Objects and the past MAD exhibit. I could not stop sketching these beauties. Mille merci Cartier 👏 On my bridge looks like jewels 💎 on the Seine non?