Cartier Panther: First Used in an Invitation Cartier Commissioned from Illustrator Georges Barbier & then in Abstract Art Deco Watch Design by Cartier's Principal Designer Charles Jacqueau in 1915

In 1914, Cartier first commissioned Georges Barbier of Gazette du bon ton fame to illustrate an invitation card showing a woman with a panther.*  His watchmaker and principal designer, Charles Jacqueau, then produced a timepiece in 1915 of an abstract panther design, using onyx and diamonds to depict the cat's coat - the first use of the panther motif in Cartier jewelry.

The panther, now so synonymous with Cartier, was a prominent icon of the Art Deco period. According to an article in ProfessionalJeweler.com magazine, unlike the "leisurely Edwardian era" the big cat "symbolized the human nature as untamed and unpredictable, covered by a thin veneer of civilized culture."  The Jazz Age era of flappers, Prohibition, gangsters, and fast livin' was well served by an image of a sleekly beautiful, but incredibly dangerous animal.

* For more on this, check out Made by Cartier: 150 Years of Tradition & Innovation by Franco Cologni and Ettore Mocchetti.

Comments

[vickie robin]

i was going through a magazine and found a panther braceleet and realized i had a pendant just like it would you have any pictures of the pendants and how could you tell if is a fake or real thank you vickie robin

[vickie robin]

where would you get the book 150 years of trtadition and innovation

[Sandals For Women]

It's better to have fought and lost, than never to have fought at all.