Certification
- Cartier Certificates of Authenticity GE2011-145, dated November 11, 2011, stating the brooch is “Cartier Paris, 1926.”
Provenance
- Linda Lee Porter (Mrs. Cole Porter)
- Princess Natalie Paley (Mrs. John C. Wilson)
Literature
- Busch, Jason T., and Catherine L. Futter. Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939. New York: Skira Rizzoli, 2012, p. 218.
- Young-Sánchez, Margaret, et. al. Cartier in the 20th Century. New York: The Vendome Press, 2014, pp. 78–79.
Exhibition
- Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century, Denver Art Museum, Denver, November 16, 2014–March 15, 2015.
- Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939,The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, April 14–August 19, 2012; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA, October 13, 2012–February 24, 2013; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA, April 12–August 4, 2013; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC, September 22, 2013–January 19, 2014.
- Cartier and America. Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, December 19, 2009–May 9, 2010.
Biography
Cartier was founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier. His three grandsons, Louis, Pierre, and Jacques, built the house into a famous international jewelry empire serving royalty, Hollywood stars, and socialites. Cartier has created some of the most important jewelry and objects of art of the twentieth century with many iconic designs such as mystery clocks, Tutti Frutti jewelry and the Panthère line. In 1983, The Cartier Collection was established with the objective of acquiring important pieces that trace the firm’s artistic evolution. Today, Cartier has 200 stores in 125 countries.
Significance
Egyptian culture has influenced artists and designers since Napoleon first excavated in Egypt in 1789. But the style did not come to full fruition until Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922. Cartier created jewelry inspired by objects from the excavation, and sometimes, as in this belt buckle brooch, combined ancient artifacts in modern settings. This piece was formerly in the collection of Linda Lee Porter, wife of musical composer Cole Porter. She wore it to a party, given by Elsa Maxwell, on a sapphire blue dress that had been designed to show off the lapis lazuli scarab belt buckle brooch.
This belt buckle brooch epitomizes Cartier’s foray into creating jewelry that integrates ancient artifacts into a contemporary composition. The scarab and wings are formed of Egyptian faience with the deep blue wings set off by four cabochon sapphires with baguette and round diamonds that accentuate the design. Only seen when the piece is turned over, the grille work on the reverse mirrors the feathers on the front. This feature characterizes a superb jeweler who finishes the underside with the same attention to detail as the obverse.
Cartier created only a few jewels in the mid 1920s that incorporate ancient artifacts into a modern design. This belt buckle brooch, a truly striking work of art, is one of the largest known and most remarkable examples.
