JEAN DESMARES, 1920s - Lot 42

JEAN DESMARES, 1920s Beauty set in yellow gold 750‰ and platinum 950‰ with geometric decoration in cloisonné black lacquer applied with lines of rose-cut diamonds mounted in pearl settings, the lid adorned with a rectangular carved and pierced jade plate with bird motif among flowers and foliage. Fitted with a hinge, it opens onto a mirror, two compartments and a lipstick case, the push-buttons and grips highlighted with onyx plaques. French work, diamond-shaped hallmark of Atelier Jean DESMARES. Dimensions: 5.4x8.4x1.6cm. P. Gross: 209.2 g. (Slight scratches, some enamel restorations). Jean DESMARES was a French jeweler born in 1872, specializing in the manufacture of ladies' accessory boxes and cigarette cases. Although he participated in his own name at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs, where he won a gold medal, he is best known for his work in the 1920s for such major houses as Lacloche Frères and Van Cleef & Arpels. This beauty kit functions here as a testament to Desmarès's technical expertise and ingenuity. The jeweler shows great inventiveness, crafting mechanisms and fittings to design a utilitarian object. But it also showcases Desmarès' taste and elegance, fully in line with the triumphant aesthetics of Art Deco, manifested here by geometric and linear engravings, as well as by inspiration drawn from Asian arts with delicate work in jade and lacquer. Desmarès' creations met with international success: at the time, he had a branch in London and represented France at the 1924 New York French Art Exhibition, as well as at the 1927 Madrid Jewelry Exhibition. Bibliography : - MOUILLEFARINE Laurence and RISTELHUEBER Véronique, Lacloche joailliers, Paris, Editions Norma l'Ecole des arts joailliers, 2019. - Le bijou dessiné, cat. exp. (Paris, Ecole des arts joailliers, October 14, 2021-February 14, 2022), GLORIEUX Guillaume (dir.), Paris, Norma éditions l'Ecole des arts joailliers, 2021.