Attributed to Cartier - Lot 256

Attributed to Cartier Circa 1910 Exceptional and extremely rare pale brown marbled agate ring or pocket holder with a single-block octagonal base, centered on an agate Billiken with ruby-studded eyes, the latter set on a square red jasper plate with beveled edges. A yellow gold screw on the back numbered O219, corresponding to the Cartier Paris stock number on rue de la Paix. Dimensions: 93 x 93 mm - Height of the figure: 26 mm - Gross weight: 154.51 g (One ruby missing from its left eye) Expert's note: The Billiken was first drawn by American illustrator Florence Pretz in 1908. Presented as a fusion of an infant and a small monkey, he illustrates, according to the legend often found on his base: "The God of things as they should be". He was adopted as the mascot for the shopping district of the Japanese city of Osaka and for St Louis University in the USA (Missouri). The House of Cartier, in the 1910s - 1920s, produced very rare household objects featuring this character. Made almost exclusively of agate, it symbolizes a period when the Parisian Maison was inspired by the productions of the illustrious Fabergé house. Sometimes mounted on a pyramid (in aventurine, lot 54, Ader sale, December 3, 2021; in agate, lot 15, Aguttes sale, November 14, 2024) or on a clock (in rock crystal), Our example, presented for the first time on the Art market since its creation, is a rare testimony to the intimate, everyday objects of the Art de vivre offered by the House of Cartier. Pierre Cartier, one of the three Cartier brothers who created the illustrious House that bears their name, was living in the United States at the time, particularly in Saint Louis, where he married. He was one of the originators of these objects in the repertoire of the Maison Cartier, which produced for a clientele of aesthetes and taste. Queen Alexandra of Denmark, wife of King Edward VII of England, had one in her personal collection. Since mid-April, an exceptional collection of Cartier jewels has been on display at the Victoria Albert Museum in London, including some from the British Royal Collection. Our museum-quality piece is sure to attract the attention of Cartier's greatest collectors. Provenance: Property of a Monegasque Lady, first time presented on the Art market, remained in the family by descent.