For a day the Cartier brand will shine more in Vienna than in Paris. The Dorotheum auction house, in fact, is planning more than 20 selected pieces from the French Maison for 29 April, as well as Tiffany, Pomellato and collectible diamond jewelry.
Among the most important pieces at the auction stands a Cartier London diadem, studded with 70 carats of aquamarines: it is considered the top lot of the auction. Dating back to the 1930s, the diadem is therefore a classic creation of the art deco period, given that the aquamarines were very popular at the time. The tiara can also be worn as a necklace. The estimate of this high quality jewel is between 34,000 and 70,000 euros.
Always Cartier is present with the Panthère series, animal symbol of the French jeweler. Collectors from all over the world appreciate this design. Actresses, duchesses and princesses have been fascinated by the Panther motif. At auction, therefore, many pieces of this series are offered: pendants, necklaces, pendant earrings and bracelets, all with the unmistakable panther. Estimates start from € 6,500 for a bracelet, up to € 30,000 for a necklace. The proposed estimates have often been exceeded in the latest Dorotheum auctions.
It is worth mentioning the story of the Cartier panther.
The first appearance of the Cartier panther is from 1914 on an advertising poster by the French painter and illustrator George Barbier. Shortly afterwards Jeanne Toussaint, who became the director of the bags and accessories department, and in 1933 the artistic director of the Parisian house’s jewelry sector, began the panther era. The creations with the noble predator symbolized self-awareness, elegance and independence, reasons why Jeanne Toussaint could identify herself as the Coco Chanel of the art of jewelry. She herself, Jeanne Toussaint, was nicknamed by Luis Cartier with the name of “panther”. Jeanne worked for the French jeweler until 1970 and her panther is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the new Cartier collections to date.
