How Cartier Got Its Spots

There is a panther for every woman.

The history of the panther motif in fashion is rooted in the early 19th century when European art featured subjects of erotically-charged anthropomorphic panther figures. The 'lady-panther' was depicted in works by both Belgian artists Walter Sauer and Fernand Khnopff.

Fernand Khnopff, Caresses of the Sphinx, 1896. Photo public domain

The panther was elevated to a style symbol thanks to interior designer Elsie de Wolfe, otherwise known by her married name Lady Mendl. The former American actress, who wrote the 1913 book The House in Good Taste, was a trend-setter for the world's most glamorous residencies.

Her influential style led her to be commissioned to design the interior for New York's leading women's social club, the Colony Club, the architectural feat of Stanford White. Exotic animal skins accentuated the interior, making these patterns coveted around the globe.

See also: Top 10 Most Wanted Watch Brands

So it came as no surprise that in 1914, jewellery giant Cartier dabbled with spots when they released their first panther-patterned wristwatch and a year later a pendant watch with the same design feature.

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Lady with Panther by George Barbier for Cartier, 1914. Display card commissioned by Louis Cartier in 1914, was later used in advertising for the firm, the image shows a woman in a fashionable Poiret gown with a panther at her feet. Photo public domain

However, it was the French illustrator George Barbier that officially brought the panther to Cartier. Louis Cartier had commissioned Barbier in 1914 to create an exhibition invitation featuring an elegant women with a sleek, black panther in the background. It was said that Cartier thought of the panther because his lover Jeanne Toussaint, who he nicknamed Petite Pantheré, always wore her favourite panther fur coat. By 1917, with Jeanne Toussaint at the helm as Cartier's creative director, many Cartier pieces were embellished with full panther icons.

See also: Cartier: A Love Affair

The onyx and diamond panther bracelet, Cartier, 1952 made for the Duchess of Windsor. It sold in 2010 for £4.5 million. Image © Sotheby's

In 1948 the Duke of Windsor commissioned a present for the Duchess of Windsor: a brooch with a 116.74-carat emerald topped with an outstretched gold panther finished with black enamel. Delighted with the design, the Duchess of Windsor expanded her jungle of jewellery, commissioning another brooch and a bracelet in the shape of an outstretched panther in diamond and onyx with emerald eyes.

Coral, onyx, emerald and diamond brooch, 'Panthère', Cartier, Paris, circa 1972. Image © Sotheby's

Thanks to the Duchess of Windsor, panther pieces were now adorning the most stylish women of the world. Keen to copy the Duchess, in 1957, Princess Nina Aga Khan commissioned a brooch for herself. Back in America, socialite and philanthropist Barbara Hutton also had panther pieces by Cartier made for her.

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Rare Ruby, Diamond and Onyx 'Panthère' Ring, Monture Cartier. Image © Sotheby's

Today, the rich and fabulous adorn themselves with Cartier panthers, and one of the most popular pieces is variations of the Panthère ring. Cartier's panther jewelry has also commanded high prices at auction. The Duchess of Windsor's panther bracelet sold at Sotheby's in 2010 for £.4.5 million. Another rare ruby, diamond and onyx panthère ring sold for £1,7 million at Sotheby's in 2015. As Pierre Rainero, the Style and Heritage Director of Cartier, once said, 'there is a panther for every woman.'

This is an updated version of an article originally published on 7 September 2017.

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