18 Karat Gold, Mother-Of-Pearl, Coral and Onyx Brooch, Cartier, Paris - Sotheby's

 Designed as a face set with mother-of-pearl plaques, with a coral mask accented by black onyx eyes and black enamelwork, signed Cartier Paris, numbered 12913 and indistinctly numbered 701223, with French assay marks. Estimation: 7,500 - 10,000 USD - Lot. Vendu 37,500 USD

NOTE: During the 1930s Cartier introduced the idea of the “novelty brooch”. Meant to be worn during the day, these brooches were inspired by a fascination with the exotic. Blackamoor heads were especially en vogue during this time as Diana Vreeland heralded them as “the chic of Paris in the late 1930s”. Bolstered by the endorsement of the fashion elite, Cartier continued to experiment with these brooches, creating new, whimsical forms that remained popular well into the 1970s. This particular brooch, designed as a stylized Venetian mask, was likely inspired by the re-emergence of Venice as a popular spot for the international jet-set during the 1950s. If one was lucky enough to be invited to the exclusive masquerade balls in Venice, masks were as de rigueur as couture for entry. Wearing Cartier’s “Mask brooch” showed an appreciation for Venetian culture while also signaling an inclusion in the upper echelons of society.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels/ New York | 17 Apr 2013  www.sothebys.com