Work from the 1910s–1920s - Lot 31

Work from the 1910s–1920s A significant and delicate ribbon bracelet in 850‰ platinum, composed of three openwork, multi-lobed ornamental motifs set with old-cut pear- and cushion-shaped diamonds and surrounded by pavé settings of old-cut diamonds; the motifs are linked by articulated lines of round links, navettes, and squares adorned with rose-cut and crown-rose-cut diamonds; the central line is adorned with larger diamonds flanked by diamond-set foliage motifs, all set in a beaded closed setting. 750‰ white gold ratchet clasp, safety clip. Weight of the three central diamonds: approximately 1 carat (pear cut), approximately 0.40 and 0.70 carats (cushion cut). Length: 16 cm. Width: 2.2 cm. Gross weight: 39.6 g. (Seven diamonds missing, some soldering and oxidation). Comes with a burgundy leather pouch from Maison Rauline. This bracelet is a masterful example of the delicate transition from the Guirlande style to Art Deco in white gold jewelry of the early 20th century. It also illustrates Western borrowings from Eastern ornamental vocabulary, particularly Persian. Derived from Persian motifs adorning the borders of book bindings, carpets, and ceramic panels, this bracelet features multi-lobed medallion motifs and “Chinese cloud” patterns (which reached the West from the Far East via the Arab world), rendered in diamonds on platinum. The bracelet is presented in a pouch bearing the signature of Maison Rauline, named after the designer Maurice Rauline, who created numerous “Guirlande” style motifs for Cartier beginning in 1902. Rauline left the House in 1909 following multiple disagreements with Louis Cartier and founded his own firm, having his hallmark engraved in 1911. Bibliography: - Cartier and the Arts of Islam - At the Sources of Modernity, Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 2021, pp. 184–5 and pp. 177–8. - BACHET Olivier, In the Beginning Was the Line - Cartier - Art Deco Drawings 1910-1930, Paris, IAJA, 2023, pp. 26, 35, 100.