Gloria Swanson, ca. 1930, with Cartier bracelets
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
In the early years of the twentieth century, as the royal courts of Europe were basking in the final glow of a fading brilliance and the Gilded Age of the New World was propelling an entirely new set of stars into the firmament, one institution was to play a role unlike any other in this historic transition.
That institution was none other than the House of Cartier.
For as America continued its rise to global prominence, and the wealthy and famous looked to express this freshly-gained prestige and stature through luxury and opulence, again and again many would turn to Cartier.
Cartier and America, now on display at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Legion of Honor, offers a dazzling glimpse into this era just as Cartier completes its hundredth anniversary in the United States.
A stunning exhibition by any measure, Cartier and America features a superabundance of gorgeous jewelry, clocks, and other works of art that were either supplied to Americans or made here between 1902 and 2007.
Paris-based Cartier came to fame as the “king of jewelers and jeweler to kings” during the Belle Époque offering an exquisite variety of jewelry ranging from traditional white diamond suites to fancifully colored creations, always featuring pioneering ingenuity and superb craftsmanship.
All of which is more than evident in the current exhibition, where we can see an exciting array of pieces owned by Americans ranging from the personal jewelry of Princess Grace of Monaco (from the time of her wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956) to the diamond bracelets worn by Gloria Swanson in the movie Sunset Boulevard.
Based primarily on the private Cartier Collection housed in Geneva, but also very significantly on rarely seen contributions from several private collections, the exhibition provides a comprehensive look at Cartier’s intimate relationship with America through more than 200 often blindingly brilliant objects.
The story of Cartier itself involves both clever marketing as well as exquisite design. After securing the patronage of the leading courts of Europe following the turn of the 20th century, Cartier paved the way for the aspiring and newly rich sons and daughters of industry and commerce to follow in these regal footsteps.
Cartier’s success was further ensured by three bold and well-timed actions. First, fully understanding the demand for white diamonds, Cartier conspicuously began setting the stones in platinum instead of silver which, aside from offering technical advantages, simply did not tarnish. Second, Cartier eschewed the contemporary Art Noveau aesthetic, focusing on the more conservative Louis XVI style which Cartier correctly surmised was what the newly-minted elites wanted.
And third, Cartier cleverly followed the money, aggressively opening boutiques in both London and New York. The latter, headed by Pierre Cartier and strategically located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street would serve as the seismic epicenter for the disruptive imbalances in wealth acquired during the Gilded Age.
Not that any of these moves were without risk. “The international fame of Cartier is largely due to Cartier imposing platinum in jewelry,” notes Pierre Rainero, Directeur de L’Image, du Style et du Patrimoine at Cartier.
Platinum allowed Cartier to not only multiply the number of mounted diamonds, but also, importantly, increase the number of articulations without putting the integrity of the piece in danger. “But platinum is a difficult metal to work with,” adds Rainero. “So it was quite daring for Cartier to make this change at this time.”
The highlights of the exhibition are many, so much so that it’s difficult to choose the predominant piece. On display, for example, is the Star of South Africa, a 47.69-carat diamond set in a pendant brooch (ca 1917), along with the tiara made for Adele Grant of New York (later to become the Countess of Essex) featuring no less than 759 brilliant-cut and 289 rose-cut diamonds.
On display too is the “Hindu” necklace, a strikingly-colorful piece in the Tutti Frutti style created by Cartier on special order for Daisy Fellowes, heiress to the Singer sewing machine fortune. The striking ruby and diamond jewelry given to Elizabeth Taylor by husband Mike Todd in 1957 is also shown.
And then there’s the truly exotic, including a perfectly articulated serpent necklace commissioned by Mexican cinema star Maria Felix featuring platinum and white gold encrusted with 178.21 carats of diamonds.
Alongside this sits a necklace in the shape of two crocodiles (modeled after a live baby crocodile supplied by the actress) consisting of 524.9 grams of gold and covered with 1023 yellow diamonds and 1060 circular-cut diamonds respectively.
Standalone works include an elegant series of mystery clocks with such extraordinary craftsmanship and materials that, as curator Martin Chapman notes, “puts them in a similar category for Cartier as the eggs were to Faberge.”
Magnificent objects aside, in reality, what we really see in Cartier and America is nothing less than a slice of world history, the transformation of an era punctuated by the creation and transfer of incredibly beautiful pieces of personal art.
“Many pieces from the Old World have been sold through Cartier to the New World,” notes Rainero. “Cartier truly was a bridge between the old European aristocracy and the new American aristocracy.”
After viewing the collection on display, it’s hard to argue that Cartier failed in any way to capture the brilliance of one era and transfer it to a new one.
Plan Your Visit
The Legion of Honor, part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, displays a collection spanning more than 4,000 years of ancient and European art and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts in a neoclassical building overlooking Lincoln Park and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Lincoln Park
34th Avenue and Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94121
415.750.3600
www.legionofhonor.org
Tuesday–Sunday, 9:30 am–5:15 pm; closed on Monday
Admission
$10 adults; $7 seniors; $6 youths 13–17 and students with college I.D.
Members and children 12 and under are free.
General admission is free the first Tuesday of every month $10 special exhibition surcharge for Cartier and America
The exhibition catalogue, authored by curator Martin Chapman, offers an in-depth exploration of how Cartier conquered America, tracing compelling connections with key patrons, Hollywood stars, prominent heiresses, and others among America’s “royalty” including Marion Davies, Mrs. Cole Porter, Mary Pickford, Barbara Hutton, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor.
The catalogue presents images of significant objects complemented, whenever possible, with archival photographs showing the celebrities with their jewels.