Chapter three - article five
The Panther:
A Timeless Heroine
Driven by the same power, magnetism and strength of character, Cartier and the Panther are inseparable. From one era to the next, the animal and the Maison have written a shared history of boldness and creativity. Both a predator and a protector, the creature appears throughout the creations in the Maison’s universe, over which she reigns as an indisputable emblem. It’s this close bond that the Maison has chosen to put in the spotlight in this illustrated story.
The Panther's story began in 1914 at Rue de la Paix, the Maison’s historic address, when her spotted motif appeared for the first time on a watch.
It was also here that Jeanne Toussaint gave the animal a three-dimensional sculptural form from the 1930s onwards.
Selection of documents from the Cartier Paris archives and heritage documentation
Jeanne Toussaint photographed by Henry Clarke in her 13 rue de la Paix office, 1967
The Panther embodies notions of beauty and elegance through many representations, both naturalistic and more stylized.
Image designed for Cartier by Nicole Wisniak and published in the magazine, Egoïste, No.14, 2000
The Panther is an expression of a very Parisian style, linked intrinsically to the prestigious Rue de la Paix address.
Acrobatic and playful, the Panther bringsthe Maison’s creations to life and boldly traverses the jewelry flora.
The Panther possesses innate elegance and grace, which is captured by the Maison’s jewelers.
Panther head-to-head bracelets multiply the essence of the feline and her powerful form, revealing her ferocious charm in a liberated burst of abstract design.
In 1948, Jeanne Toussaint gave a three-dimensional body to the Panther with an emerald cabochon brooch commissioned for the Duchess of Windsor; the following year, the Duchess acquired a second brooch, this time in platinum, paved with sapphires, with the Panther sitting atop an extraordinary 152.35-carat sapphire cabochon.
Panther brooch, Cartier Paris, 1948. Special commission by the Duke of Windsor in gold, enamel and emerald.
The jeweled vitality of the Panther enhances the Maison’s watch creations.
Proud and untamable, Cartier’s naturalist Panther stamps her authority through her attitude.
The Panther reigns over the Maison’s flora and fauna.
Nothing romantic or sappy, just a bold representation of nature, decisiveness, and freedom of spirit.
Design, stone setting and paving: at Cartier, the idea is not to imitate nature but to pay homage to it, to breathe life into the Panther and infuse her with personality.
From Paris to the ends of the earth and from the jungle to the city, the Panther is a traveling heroine passing boldly through various landscapes.
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