CARTIER PARIS ART DECO SILK CLUTCH BAG WITH AGATE, DIAMOND, GOLD, PLATINUM, ENAMEL CLASP, CIRCA 1925-30

Rectangular black silk clutch bag with semi-circular Art Deco Oriental agate clasp applied recto verso with a stepped gold Moresque crenulated embattlement motif set with rose-cut diamonds in platinum and enameled red over a guilloché ground, the circular pull-out agate ring with a gold ring enameled red over guilloché ground and set with a rose-cut diamond in platinum. Black silk lining with pockets inside. signed ‘CARTIER Made in France’ (on inside lining), French 18K gold hallmark ‘eagle head’ (on loop) 15.5 x 18 cm circa 1925-30 in Cartier box Condition: restoration to red enamel, little tap on the corner of the box Certificate of expertise by Alain Cartier, expert CNE, Paris and LAPADA, London, dated October 13, 2023 References: The rock crystal version of this clasp appeared in a gift catalogue of Cartier London in 1930. For an identical crenulated motif, enameled black, see the hinges and clasp on a rock crystal table cigarette box dated 1927, in «Cartier, Exceptional Objects», O. Bachet and A. Cartier, 2019, Palais Royal Ed. Hong Kong, ill. vol. 2, page 267. The output of handbags with precious clasps exploded at Cartier in the 1920s and 30s with Jeanne Toussaint in charge. lt was also the first category of the ‘Département S’ of Cartier Paris in 1923. This popular Oriental shaped clasp was also made in lapis lazuli. The Oriental inspiration was typical of Cartier’s output in the 1920s, starting with the Moresque and Persian cultures, with a small output inspired by Ancient Egypt, moving across to Mughal lndia, and then the Far East.