Cartier at the V&A - Spring & Summer 2025

In May 2025 after much anticipation beforehand Cartier and their many friends gathered across more than a century, welcomed us in to whisper their stories through the glass vitrines.

Some jewels in the collection where well known and anticipated features, others where a surprise from personal collections that perhaps held strong family sentiment links.  For me a personal highlight was the Mystery clocks, I three quarter guessed how this had been achieved but like all clockmakers, I am still in awe of how these pieces where conceived and I feel this craftsmen's names should be as well known as famous brands of the twentieth century.

As Maison Cartier approaches it's two-hundredth anniversary, it's probably a very good time to talk about the origins and celebrate the innovation and longevity of the House that led the way in jewellery design for many generations. Alongside the world of Haute Couture, I think Maison Cartier as well as others such as Boucheron, the home of the Tiara dating to the Napoleonic era Diadem Royal commissions, sealed Paris' identity as a home of high fashion and style. Other centres such as London did and still do produce Haute Couture in a small number of Atelier and independent jewellers but Paris somehow managed to preserve it's high art craft industry very well. There is however a drive to bring more of our artisanal high arts back with the Kings Foundation in the United Kingdom notably leading the way towards this.  I've placed the statements of the Maison and the curatorial artist above so that they can speak to you themselves and invite you to discover their work.  

If you speak of Cartier to people, one of the most well known and memorable genre's of jewellery that they have created over the past two centuries is the Tiara. Famously worn by Royalty at state occasions, nobility and the wealthy having a great time and enjoying themselves; these pieces adorned usually married women or sometimes young girls from leading and Royal Houses at state occasions and society events. They reached their height in popularity in the UK in the Edwardian ear, that is broadly a little before the actual reign of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra from about 1890 through to the start of the First World War. They continue to be worn today, but the juncture of post war high taxations and a gradual decrease in the interest in regular overt displays of wealth by the younger generations through the rebellious 'roaring' nineteen twenties and sombre hard times that followed in the nineteen thirties, meant they became a 'saved for special occasions' item to many families. I would term them something of the unicorns of the jewellery world now. Except though you have slightly more chance of seeing tiara than a unicorn, maybe. Many convert into necklaces, so you may just see one sneaking out in it's alternate disguise taken off of it's frame.

Above in the display case are to the left, the famous Manchester Tiara, owned by the Dukes of Manchester and created by Cartier in 1903 for Consuelo Yznago, then Dower Duchess of Manchester. This was the first of many pieces to stop and stare at, try to count the stones, imagine the time and work to place them into their settings and contemplate the weight. It's been about a decade since I was lucky enough to try on a set of Tiara's (I guess not a parure as they are sets featuring one Tiara each) but none where as big as this I recall. I find myself thinking about the logistics of holding it in place and how long it would be worn for.  To the right is the 'Oriental Bandeau' created for a private client in 1911 and incorporating aspects of Islamic architecture and design. It shows the wide reach of the designs that influenced the jewellers and designers at Maison Cartier and the international outlook of their clients. Also I see the influence of Art Deco perhaps too. Centre are two stunning pieces that use the bow as a central feature, this is a key emblem of the Louis XVI first becoming popular just a little before. The brooch was to sit on the bodice dates to around 1760 in France and donated by Dame Joan Evans. The necklace to it's side from Portugal dated to between 1780 and 1800 and bequeathed by Mrs. A. E. Stuart. Both beautiful to contemplate.

Something that endlessly fascinates me about jewellery design are the water colour gouache illustrations that form part of the lengthy preparatory work that goes into designing a piece, a parure or jewellery collection. To see the ideas of form and colour first come to life on paper with gentle hands before it's transformation into three dimensional form is, I believe, an art in itself. The Egyptian god Ptah was attributed as saying said that 'Work is the balm of the heart' and this is something that comes back to me still today. It's amazing how good gardening can feel or creating and shaping something and this website itself has been work I've enjoyed even though painstaking for much of two decades now. The Egyptian Gods echoed many aspects of peoples lives that gave them comfort perhaps when times could be difficult before modern medicines and comforts, it showed that someone was always watching over them, always cared and saw their plight and their happy times. For me it also shows that the work of Cartier in their Egyptian suites would have made many so happy if they had been able to see it.

When Japan opened it's Border to other cultures in the nineteenth century after centuries of isolation it brought many fascinations to the wider world, one of these that left the most indelible legacy was it's art and sense of expression of natural surrounding. In the frame above the Katagami brooch and Japanese knot brooch both illustrate the studied restraint and intricate complexity captured inside traditional craft and motifs of Japan. Still a country I have yet to visit but I love to hear stories of from friends when they return. The central bracelet made in New York in 1925 by Cartier contains emeralds, rubies, onyx, diamonds and platinum. That could sound complicated and two complex for a subtle piece but it doesn't appear so. In the final completion of the piece, it delicately expresses the sense of harmony and conformity that Japanese art is imbued with. In many way, it's a form of art that, for me, is more the heir to ancient Egypt's legacy than any other form in the world.  To the right, the elegant wysteria hangs formed in diamonds to be worn at the ears of the wearer or potentially to be placed as heir ornaments or clip brooches. I added a second slightly larger picture to enable you to see them catch the light a little better.      

Above is an illustration that shows how interested Cartier, as in the Cartier family, where in understanding the cultural motifs that they worked into their designs. For me, one of the most interesting parts of the description frieze above is that Louis Cartier had a library. I can imagine him leafing through books day and night looking at cultural references, thinking about what clients may have spoken to him about, what they where interested in and where they have travelled that could spark an idea for the creation of a piece or suite of jewellery that would really resonate with clients. As with the gouache water colours, these illustrations are very important pieces of art in their own right as part of Cartier's heritage. 

One of the man areas of art and antiques that usually catch my eye are clocks, perhaps a fascination inherited from my Cliffey great grandad, and until this exhibition I was not consciously aware of the Cartier mystery clocks. I have to admit, I got to about 80% of the way there in working out how they where created but I had to look it up. When I read the description of them being mantlepiece talking points, I had to have a little chuckle, because I think if I had come across one at a friends home, I would be doing far more looking and wondering than talking. You would need to firmly point me towards the dining room for dinner as I would be pondering the clock for quite some time if left to my own devices lost in thought not rudeness. Again you can see how the Japanese Shinto shrine gate, like the classic Egyptian temple architecture lends itself so well to the formation of harmony and control central to Art Deco in the 20th century. It's literally an artwork that I think will attract admiration and respect for centuries to come, as out it's 'mystery clock' contemporaries and I think it was excellent foresight of Cartier to start buying back pieces as they came up for sale to build a collection for the House itself.  

A little less of a mystery here as to the workings of this clock, but who can resist a Golden Dragon in all seriousness. I certainly could look at it almost as long as contemplating the mystery clocks cousins of the range. Inspiration for this piece was found in the traditional Japanese Mirror complete with stand shown to the left with careful attention paid to harmony and proportions in true Japanese stylistic sense and in particular gold, platinum enamel and silver all combining to create the sense of another, almost unearthly super-metal. I believe that the dragon is supposed to be a symbol in some cases of the Universe and time itself, something connected to Gods and Emperors and Empresses who represent it's strength and wisdom on earth.

When considering Cartier in the early twentieth century one also has to consider the huge influence of Faberge and the high decadence of the late Russian Empire that lead to the most extreme displays of wealth at the Russian Court on a scale never before seen in the previous centuries when prior to Tzar Nicholas I the Imperial Family had been much smaller.  The ruling aristocracy followed the trends set by the very expansive ruling dynasty who patronised the workshop of Faberge, fascinated with his blending and adaptation of some extant enamel crafts that he took to new heights in fusion with traditional Russian aesthetics. These often fused with hints of classical antiquity worked into the emerging contemporary styles inspired by Art Nouveau that precipitated the Art Deco not many years away. Above the perfume burner crafted in Aventine and enamel over guilloche ground formed part of the magical alchemy of the Cartier workshop that captivated clients and anyone who looked into the store windows. The highest craftsmanship at the highest price. Cartier like Faberge sought to win clients from the Russian and international elite through following this style but I think in a slightly macabre moment of NLP word-similarity between guilloche and something that existed in France about one hundred and twenty years earlier. These extravagances in some quarters began to foster the discontent some played upon to bring great change in Russia. As I'm becoming a rather more aware of intergenerational power networks a small cynical part of me wonders if this struck a chord with certain members of the banking elite of the day, some of whom purchased Faberge with the wealth their families had made in recent generations since the 18th century. but that is nothing to do with Cartier and it's tremendous legacy of craft.

The synergy between Cartier and Faberge became closer and closer intertwined, to the point where you need to be a real expert to differentiate between the two. Both Houses used the same craft suppliers in the process of creating pieces and both strove to attract the Russian Imperial family and their numerous relations as clients. The Rose Pink case above to the left used for harmful tobacco sticks, but today, perhaps could be used for certain make-up items, is a piece I think could be made today that would attract clients in droves. The Golden desk clock with enamel over guilloche ground would bring a ray of sunshine to the darkest winter morning or evening at your desk or dressing table and seems to beam with an eternal light of it's own.

Centre above a pocket watch suspended upon a necklace in a deep purple echos the splendours of Imperial Rome and the ancient Near East where the original slightly different porphyry colour originated. It manages to capture both the regal style and the new waves of pre-Art Deco art that was taking shape as the twentieth century began to dawn. To the right, a pair of well matched pieces, a powder box in light pink made by Cartier at Paris in 1906 and a compact by Faberge in Russia in 1907-08 show just how interchangeable their work was but as noted, when utilising the same sources, and in pursuit of the same clients, this is hardly surprising. All are pieces to study and reflect upon. The compact is part of a private collection but the other pieces are all owned by Cartier itself today as part of it's archive.   

Lastly, for now, some pieces that celebrate cultural heritage and in the case of the creatures are simply cute. The Faberge animals are amongst my favourite things they made and I imagine them sitting on dressing tables or being hidden under pillows of some very lucky children perhaps wishing for birthday or Christmas presents or simply as part of childhood play and story telling. Both of these creatures I think inhabited the cold lands of the Russian east that sat in the background of the thoughts of those around the Russian court, perhaps more romanticised than what some of the inhabitants knew of them. The keen expression of the Chinchilla looking at you with an ear cocked, ready to listen whilst nibbling is an expression so full of life. The rabbit with it's tiny diamond collar hints at a cherished pet perhaps brought in from the woods.

These laughing Buddha's 'Budai' are emblematic of the widespread design interests of Cartier and also the geographical reach of the clients in terms of country of origin and also sphere's that some clients travelled in. They would have been, I imagine expensive, at the time of creation but I can see them being contemplated as diplomatic gifts in eras when diplomats where as often drawn from the cultural and social elite of a country as international representatives. But this is Cartier and even Budai have their own bespoke jewellery made for them to wear. 

A little later in the Autumn I'll add a few more of my favourite Tiara's and brooches from the exhibition here ahead of publishing online my round-up of Schiaparelli at the V&A also running until November 2026.