Cartier: A black suede handbag with a coral and diamond clasp Y
circa 1935
£3,780
Auction: 29 April 2025 from 14:00 BST
Description
In the envelope style, the rose-cut diamond keyhole in an Indian motif, to a coral corallium rubrum bead, carved with a geometric pattern and inset with a rose-cut diamond, signed Cartier Paris, partially struck maker's mark, French assay mark, width 19.2cm
Footnote
In 2012, a similar style of handbag appeared at auction in California from the Estate of Hazel Forbes Richmond, a star of the silver screen. According to family repute, the Cartier bag was a gift from Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy sometime after 1938. That bag had a hand and flower clasp in the style of lot 9. See Bonhams, Fine Jewellery, San Francisco, 19th April 2012, lot 120.
Handbags have been made by Cartier since the start of the 20th century; at times of solid gold or heavily diamond-set, perhaps made of exotic brocades and even just timelessly chic in classic black. When Louis Cartier asked Jeanne Toussaint to come to work for him within Rue de la Paix, she worked in the handbag department and was respected for her ingenious and economical use of expensive fabrics.