Art Deco Silver and Ebonite Inkstand by Cartier, Paris, circa 1930
Art Deco Silver and Ebonite Inkstand by Cartier, Paris, circa 1930
A silver inkstand with engraved and gilded details supporting two octagonal pots with stepped lids and glass inserts, with a grooved pen rest; with French assay marks; in fitted case
- Signed Cartier
- Measurements: 9 1/4 × 4 1/4 × 6¾ inches
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
Since their beginning in 1847, Cartier has offered beautiful objects for sale amongst their exquisite jewelry. Writing implements were first offered in the 1860s. The founder of the firm, Louis-François Cartier, was interested in and inspired by Far Eastern languages, studying them toward the end of his life. According to Cartier, “He instilled his descendants with the idea that culture is the most important of all values, and that writing is the defining mark of all civilizations.”
This set unites the love of writing with the strong geometry favored in the Art Deco era. Octagonal pots—one for ink and one for washing the pen— feature beautiful graduated lids of concentric polished silver slabs, the only ornamentation on the piece is a series of three hatch marks repeated around the lip of each pot and around the silver of the base creating a study in light and dark.
Cartier turned this everyday item, the inkwell set, into an extraordinary and beautiful object demonstrating the originality, style, and refinement of the owner. During the 1920s, the writing set was the center of all business conducted from the home and office. It is exceedingly rare to find an intact Cartier writing object from the early twentieth century, and particularly unusual to find one so spare and moderne in design. This rare and beautiful piece would be a magnificent centerpiece for any desk.
