Yellow gold, silver, gilt-silver and sapphire cuff bangle, Cartier, New York, circa 1940

Of North African inspiration, the triple row of yellow gold spheres applied to a wide stepped silver and gilt-silver cuff bangle, with two sapphire cabochons accents, signed Cartier.

Cf: Sotheby's Catalogue, The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor, Geneva, April 1987, lot 112 for a similar bangle, the interior inscribed: For a happier New Year, NASSAU, 1-I-41 WE.

Signed Cartier. Some tarnish to metal and scratches commensurate with age and use. In good condition.
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Whereas Japan, China, India, Egypt, Persia, Russia and the Ottoman Empire were well-known sources of inspiration of Cartier's 1910-1950 production, very few Cartier jewels derived their style from African prototypes. One of the first jewels of that kind was the famous 'Soudanais' bracelet made in 1919. The present cuff bangle, based on Nubian or North-African models, and including some elements of the post-industrial Mechanism aesthetics, is inspired, not only by the 1931 'Exposition Coloniale' in Paris but also by the influential 'Barbare' style - a fashion spurred by the huge success of the jazz-inspired 'Revue Nègre' show led by Joséphine Baker. Other influences included the production of the avant-garde Cubist artists of the time, such as Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris, and the numerous collections of African artefacts among the elite of European connoisseurs such as the Parisian couturier Jacques Doucet, the founder of the Surrealist movement André Breton and the extravagant héritière Nancy Cunard. This jewel, which was very probably made on special order, is in harmony with the contemporary production of Parisian avant-garde jewellers such as René Boivin, Jean Fouquet, Gérard Sandoz, Jean Desprès, Jean Dunand, Raymond Templier and Gustave Miklos.  A similar bracelet was found in the collection of the Duchess of Windsor.