Box

Cartier

ca. 1925–1930 · Lacquer, red gemstone, gold and metal · Modern and Contemporary Art

During the early twentieth century, designers of the French jewelry house Cartier incorporated design elements from imperial Chinese jade in their designs for the Parisian and European elite. This lacquer box juxtaposes classical Chinese material, such as red and black lacquer, and incorporates jade elements. For its symbolic properties, jade has been favored by the Chinese imperial court since antiquity—the material was used to decorate the most prized decorative arts, clothing, and furniture. Jade connotes the mineral jadeite or nephrite and is procured in a variation of different shades from purple and white to hues of green. Characterized by imaginative Chinese forms such as dragons, Art Deco Chinoiserie was hugely popular.

Artist

Cartier

Date

ca. 1925–1930

Medium

Lacquer, red gemstone, gold and metal

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Gift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler, 2020