1928
An exceptional and rare Art Deco cosmetic box of Chinese inspiration
Rectangular in shape, it is crafted from 18k yellow gold (750‰) and enamelled on both sides with a black ‘mille-raies’ pattern set within frames of red enamel
The lid is centred with an antique openwork and carved jadeite element, edged with mille-grain motifs in platinum (850‰) set with rose-cut diamonds and highlighted with black enamel
The four sides are enamelled in red at the corners and feature a black honeycomb motif in the centre, a refined stylisation of the openwork balustrades on Chinese balconies
The platinum push-button is set with a sugar-loaf cabochon emerald between two half-moon motifs set with rose-cut diamonds
Inside, a bevelled mirror, a lipstick holder and a powder compartment
Signed Cartier Paris, London, New York, numbered 0833 (Cartier Paris inventory number from 1928), engraved ‘Made in France’, hallmarks of goldsmith (illegible) and fineness mark
Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1.4 cm
Gross weight: 177.2 g
Signed case
Bibliography:
- ‘A Vanity Affair: L'Art du Nécessaire’, Edited by Lyne Kaddoura, Rizzoli, New York, 2019 – a virtually identical example no. 0502 from 1927 illustrated on pp. 80–81
- O. Bachet and A. Cartier ‘Cartier – Objets d’exception’, Ed. Palais Royal, Hong Kong, 2019, reproduction vol. 2, pp. 35–37
Accompanied by an expert report by Alain Cartier, No. ALC-49, dated 30 April 2026
This is undoubtedly an extremely rare and valuable piece, owing to its entirely Chinese decoration, the technical prowess of its craftsmanship (it took up to 900 hours of work to produce a vanity case of this quality) and, above all, by the fact that it is the third box to appear on the market (almost identical apart from the jade element and the surrounding decoration) to the other two boxes that entered the Cartier Paris stock between 1927 and 1928!
