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Lot Essay
In many ways, the Harlequin figure that is the official mascot of Mauboussin's "Boutique" line of jewels embodies the personality of the House that he represents. For Harlequin is as multifaceted as the costume that he wears. He is original and inventive in the means by which he captures our attention; he is festive and playful, yet mindful of the professional responsibility he takes in his role as jester; and behind his mask he is somewhat enigmatic and unpredictable.
The last remaining family-owned jewellers on Place Vendome, Mauboussin displays just such a diversity of character. It owes much of its development to its independent structure, and the cumulative legacy of six successive generations of family input. Each individual made his own distinctive mark on the evolution of the company, but all were collectively united by a strong, innovative personality - a family trait which endures to this day. Founded in 1827 amidst a France still recovering from the shock of recent political and military upheavals, few could have predicted the enduring success of this new jewellery venture. Yet under the guidance of Jean-Baptiste Noury, the business quickly established a reputation based on its quality of workmanship and choice of gems - the two foundation stones on which the firm has been built ever since. Noury's initial vision and courage provided his nephew, Georges Mauboussin, with a solid base from which to launch an era of bold creativity and his own signature style. An innovative and daring approach to design catapulted the firm to international recognition as one of the greatest exponents of the Art Deco style in the 1920s and '30s, when Mauboussin became known as "The House of Colour". Georges's son Pierre perpetuated this reputation for pioneering creativity with the launch of Mauboussin's American operation in 1924. Having received a high commercial education, he immediately felt that his vocation lied in engineering and became passionate for aerodynamics. He led two activities: that of a jeweller - being put in charge by his father of the New York Mauboussin branch - and that of a plane designer. Two activities not very different from eachother according to him, his desire being to imagine new shapes, his innovation and creation capacities remaining exceptional. The first Mauboussin plane was constructed in 1928 and quickly won five international speed records. Engaging himself to the study of aerodynamics for light planes, he performed at the same time his taste for mechanics on jewellry, objects (trophies commemorating the Atlantic crossing by Lindbergh, Costes and Bellonte, Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe) and watches. A first Mauboussin catalogue is entirely dedicated to these in 1929: skeleton watches, wristwatches, small clocks... he of course participated in the 1930 "Aeronautics in Art" exhibition at the Pavillon de Marsan. His two activities were so linked at this point that his technical studies bureau was situated on rue de Choiseul in the family jewellery shop, where he conceived not less than 35 plane prototypes, mastering himself in the art of imagining light jet aviation. The jewel of this activity is without doubt the CM 170 (M for Mauboussin) which flew for the first time in July 1952, baptised "MAGISTER". In 1994, Pierre Mauboussin was appointed director of the FOUGA Establishments Aviation Services and it was definitely him who was at the origin of the balanced outline descending from the new aircraft: aerodynamic fuselage, V-shaped tailplane. His colleagues, full of humour, nicknamed him "the goldsmith in light aviation". His entrepreneurial talent supported by the far-sighted business acumen of his cousin Marcel Goulet, nephew of M. Noury, astutely steered the firm through the difficult aftermath of the 1929 Wall Street Crash and subsequent Depression. Jean Goulet-Mauboussin, Marcel's son, took over the post-war directorship of the firm, and with his natural charm and persuasiveness, used travelling jewellery exhibitions to promote French craftsmanship - and the Mauboussin name - abroad. Indeed one can list Marlene Dietrich as one of the firms more famous clients. She so loved their jewellery, she installed a direct phone line from her apartment to the workshop in New York so she would never miss a single step in the creation of her jewels. One of her favorite jewels was a cabochon emerald and diamond bracelet, which was especially created for her, and which she wore in "Angel", one of her most famous films, in 1937. Such a cosmopolitan attitude continued as Jean's son Alain combined his negotiating and decision-making skills to take Mauboussin to the Far East. And finally since 1975 Alain's younger brother, Patrick, has been the decisive driving force and dynamic spirit behind this extraordinary business. A true visionary, akin to his nineteenth-century ancestor M. Noury, Patrick completes the circle of talent in this unique family. Currently the soul of this firm, he sets a personal look on the jewel, freeing himself from the numerous taboos which still lie heavy on French jewellery trade. Affable and erudite, he intuitively understands the demands and desires of the modern woman, and is unafraid to take ground-breaking steps to provide for these needs, for them, he invents the concept of transarency: diamonds sparkle through the rock crystal like magic. The reflections of the stones, the luster of pearls, the iridescence of mother-of-pearl and opals, the mat complexion or brilliance of the metals are studied until the perfect light effect is obtained, considered as priority to all creations. Scrupulous selection of the stones and colours, endless research of new techniques and ancient know-how: that is the new philosophy of all impulse given to the enterprise. Worried about maintaining ancestral traditions, strong in his creativity and art of living experiences acquired outside our frontier, Patrick Mauboussin rethinks in total freedom the feminine universe and the natural sequence of his process was the creation of a perfume. It is an even more intimate way of reaching women!
Design creativity has always proved an essential ingredient of success, even in difficult circumstances. During the war-torn 1940s, Mauboussin's fruitful partnership with the American-based company Trabert & Hoeffer yielded a thoroughly innovative design concept - a personalised line of jewels known as "REFLECTION", in which standardisation and individuality were combined for the first time. A woman could choose from a vast selection of pre-made design elements, combining these with her own preferences for coloured stones and metals, to create a unique composition. Many jewels were even marked with the name of the client, as well as the mark of the firm and the "Reflection" line itself, and the range was heralded as the result of the "relentless quest for something entirely new". In 1986, in Paris, at the Biennale des Antiquaries at the Grand Palais, Mauboussin displayed the ingeniousness of its art, by unveiling for the first time two automatons, ornamented with precious stones, gold, mother-of-pearl, and other rare material. At that time, almost a decade ago, those first two creations were unique in the world and seemed to embody a challenge for the entire profession of Haute Joaillerie. That pair of automatons also represented a crowning point of the art of jewellery-making, a heritage of know-how handed down from generation to generation, from the time of the House's inception in 1827. Composed as a real show, with staging and music, each automaton moves in its own world: full of marvel, mystery and surprise. Inspired by this kind of setting, the most charismatic character of the Commedia dell'arte, Harlequin, an enchanting musician with a brilliant repartee, was assigned a first-rate role on centre stage. Seated nonchalantly, with his leg tucked beneath him, his diamonds-patterned garment is an interplay between radiant mother-of-pearl and nuanced reflections, conveying and unreal state of mind, suffused with emotions. Other themes are also carried out with movement, in light and in colours: all kinds of equestrians, magicians and dancers. In all of these amazing creations, there is an ongoing contrast between the whimsical, almost childlike themes, based on games and showmanship, and the serious tradition of rigour coming forth from the jeweller's art in which the quest for perfection attains the highest level. Today design innovation is perpetuated with lines such as "OLYMPE", created in 1991, which re-explores the traditional solitaire ring with a new form, harking back - as its name implies - to the architecture of Antiquity. The gem in all its purity and beauty is truly the focus of interest, but is accented in an entirely new way with a cylinder on either side composed of three baguette-cut diamonds. A cabochon is placed at the extremities of each cylinder, to give the design a classic balance, much in the manner of antique columns. The proportions of these elements vary with every ring, for they are determined by the size of the particular stone and by the shape of its cut. In every aspect the design exemplifies the constant search for aesthetic forms that reconcile tradition and timelessness with novelty and modernity.
Creativity in the materials chosen for a jewel is a second area in which Mauboussin traditionally excels. Indeed as early as the nineteenth-century, the eminent jeweller Georges Fouquet judged the House of Noury to be "a venerable firm well known for the quality of its stones". The firm's award-winning Art Deco creations cemented this reputation, using rock crystal, coral, onyx, jade and mother-of-pearl, juxtaposed in daring new colour combinations. Henceforward, reviving the use of different gem materials in original ways was to be a typical trait of Mauboussin's production, and the recent "NADIA" range, first introduced in 1983, is a perfect case in point. A unique combination of Nacre (or mother-of-pearl) and DIAmond in the same jewel (hence the name), a NADIA ring offsets the life of a solitaire gemstone with the soft glow of diffuse, pearly iridescence, encased within a simple, smooth gold surround. A multitude of variations on this theme continue to be successful - in grey or black nacre; ribbed, fluted or matelasse; set with diamonds or coloured stones such as peridots and tourmalines. A similar inventiveness is seen in the distinctive "OPERA" series with its mix of Tahitian pearls, brilliant-cut diamonds and buff-top coloured stones such as tourmalines and citrines.
The final defining feature of Mauboussin production is the strict standard of traditional craftsmanship that is adhered to in the execution of every piece. The firm's workshops are constantly refining ancient know-how while searching for new fabrication techniques. In 1994 a new watch-making division was born of the ambition to bring together advanced Swiss technology and quintessential French Haute Joaillerie. From this remit a line of gentlemen's watches was created, highly distinctive in its appearance with finely-etched bezels surrounding the face, and produced in steel, gold, silver or gemset (using precious stones or more unusual opal, blue agate, onyx, mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli or coral). This was followed in 1998 by the launch of the prestigious Lady M watch, a symbol of the successful harmony between watch- and jewellery-making.
The union of combined genius in all these various aspects results in creations such as the exquisite "FOULARD" parure. First presented at La Biennale des Antiquairies in 1990, this suite of bracelet, collar necklace and ear clips, represents a vintage version of Mauboussin's daring creativity. The softly draping knot designs of each piece are brought together with an elaborately jewelled "scarf ring" motif. The gold mount of the FOULARD necklace for instance is pave-set with brilliants and cross-bars of rubies and sapphires to produce an undulating pavement of gemstones, studded with five large step-cut emeralds, while the central "scarf ring" is set with square-cut diamonds and diamond and emerald baguettes. Such exclusive jewels are manifestations of the resolve to carry creative inspirations to the limit, yet within the boundaries of rigorous craftsmanship; to combine commitment to tradition with a taste for modernity.
It is this dualism of modernity and tradition which has served to differentiate Mauboussin since its very inception. It is the two-cornered Harlequin's hat which the firm wears so well. Mauboussin creations are born of true design innovation, researched and executed with absolute precision according to time-honoured know-how, just as they have been since 1827, yet without compromising the spirit of "joie de vivre" which lies at the very heart of the jeweller's art. Deftly Mauboussin juggles these different balls, combining and balancing them with apparent ease to produce a flawless performance for our constant entertainment and delight. A H arlequin indeed....
The last remaining family-owned jewellers on Place Vendome, Mauboussin displays just such a diversity of character. It owes much of its development to its independent structure, and the cumulative legacy of six successive generations of family input. Each individual made his own distinctive mark on the evolution of the company, but all were collectively united by a strong, innovative personality - a family trait which endures to this day. Founded in 1827 amidst a France still recovering from the shock of recent political and military upheavals, few could have predicted the enduring success of this new jewellery venture. Yet under the guidance of Jean-Baptiste Noury, the business quickly established a reputation based on its quality of workmanship and choice of gems - the two foundation stones on which the firm has been built ever since. Noury's initial vision and courage provided his nephew, Georges Mauboussin, with a solid base from which to launch an era of bold creativity and his own signature style. An innovative and daring approach to design catapulted the firm to international recognition as one of the greatest exponents of the Art Deco style in the 1920s and '30s, when Mauboussin became known as "The House of Colour". Georges's son Pierre perpetuated this reputation for pioneering creativity with the launch of Mauboussin's American operation in 1924. Having received a high commercial education, he immediately felt that his vocation lied in engineering and became passionate for aerodynamics. He led two activities: that of a jeweller - being put in charge by his father of the New York Mauboussin branch - and that of a plane designer. Two activities not very different from eachother according to him, his desire being to imagine new shapes, his innovation and creation capacities remaining exceptional. The first Mauboussin plane was constructed in 1928 and quickly won five international speed records. Engaging himself to the study of aerodynamics for light planes, he performed at the same time his taste for mechanics on jewellry, objects (trophies commemorating the Atlantic crossing by Lindbergh, Costes and Bellonte, Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe) and watches. A first Mauboussin catalogue is entirely dedicated to these in 1929: skeleton watches, wristwatches, small clocks... he of course participated in the 1930 "Aeronautics in Art" exhibition at the Pavillon de Marsan. His two activities were so linked at this point that his technical studies bureau was situated on rue de Choiseul in the family jewellery shop, where he conceived not less than 35 plane prototypes, mastering himself in the art of imagining light jet aviation. The jewel of this activity is without doubt the CM 170 (M for Mauboussin) which flew for the first time in July 1952, baptised "MAGISTER". In 1994, Pierre Mauboussin was appointed director of the FOUGA Establishments Aviation Services and it was definitely him who was at the origin of the balanced outline descending from the new aircraft: aerodynamic fuselage, V-shaped tailplane. His colleagues, full of humour, nicknamed him "the goldsmith in light aviation". His entrepreneurial talent supported by the far-sighted business acumen of his cousin Marcel Goulet, nephew of M. Noury, astutely steered the firm through the difficult aftermath of the 1929 Wall Street Crash and subsequent Depression. Jean Goulet-Mauboussin, Marcel's son, took over the post-war directorship of the firm, and with his natural charm and persuasiveness, used travelling jewellery exhibitions to promote French craftsmanship - and the Mauboussin name - abroad. Indeed one can list Marlene Dietrich as one of the firms more famous clients. She so loved their jewellery, she installed a direct phone line from her apartment to the workshop in New York so she would never miss a single step in the creation of her jewels. One of her favorite jewels was a cabochon emerald and diamond bracelet, which was especially created for her, and which she wore in "Angel", one of her most famous films, in 1937. Such a cosmopolitan attitude continued as Jean's son Alain combined his negotiating and decision-making skills to take Mauboussin to the Far East. And finally since 1975 Alain's younger brother, Patrick, has been the decisive driving force and dynamic spirit behind this extraordinary business. A true visionary, akin to his nineteenth-century ancestor M. Noury, Patrick completes the circle of talent in this unique family. Currently the soul of this firm, he sets a personal look on the jewel, freeing himself from the numerous taboos which still lie heavy on French jewellery trade. Affable and erudite, he intuitively understands the demands and desires of the modern woman, and is unafraid to take ground-breaking steps to provide for these needs, for them, he invents the concept of transarency: diamonds sparkle through the rock crystal like magic. The reflections of the stones, the luster of pearls, the iridescence of mother-of-pearl and opals, the mat complexion or brilliance of the metals are studied until the perfect light effect is obtained, considered as priority to all creations. Scrupulous selection of the stones and colours, endless research of new techniques and ancient know-how: that is the new philosophy of all impulse given to the enterprise. Worried about maintaining ancestral traditions, strong in his creativity and art of living experiences acquired outside our frontier, Patrick Mauboussin rethinks in total freedom the feminine universe and the natural sequence of his process was the creation of a perfume. It is an even more intimate way of reaching women!
Design creativity has always proved an essential ingredient of success, even in difficult circumstances. During the war-torn 1940s, Mauboussin's fruitful partnership with the American-based company Trabert & Hoeffer yielded a thoroughly innovative design concept - a personalised line of jewels known as "REFLECTION", in which standardisation and individuality were combined for the first time. A woman could choose from a vast selection of pre-made design elements, combining these with her own preferences for coloured stones and metals, to create a unique composition. Many jewels were even marked with the name of the client, as well as the mark of the firm and the "Reflection" line itself, and the range was heralded as the result of the "relentless quest for something entirely new". In 1986, in Paris, at the Biennale des Antiquaries at the Grand Palais, Mauboussin displayed the ingeniousness of its art, by unveiling for the first time two automatons, ornamented with precious stones, gold, mother-of-pearl, and other rare material. At that time, almost a decade ago, those first two creations were unique in the world and seemed to embody a challenge for the entire profession of Haute Joaillerie. That pair of automatons also represented a crowning point of the art of jewellery-making, a heritage of know-how handed down from generation to generation, from the time of the House's inception in 1827. Composed as a real show, with staging and music, each automaton moves in its own world: full of marvel, mystery and surprise. Inspired by this kind of setting, the most charismatic character of the Commedia dell'arte, Harlequin, an enchanting musician with a brilliant repartee, was assigned a first-rate role on centre stage. Seated nonchalantly, with his leg tucked beneath him, his diamonds-patterned garment is an interplay between radiant mother-of-pearl and nuanced reflections, conveying and unreal state of mind, suffused with emotions. Other themes are also carried out with movement, in light and in colours: all kinds of equestrians, magicians and dancers. In all of these amazing creations, there is an ongoing contrast between the whimsical, almost childlike themes, based on games and showmanship, and the serious tradition of rigour coming forth from the jeweller's art in which the quest for perfection attains the highest level. Today design innovation is perpetuated with lines such as "OLYMPE", created in 1991, which re-explores the traditional solitaire ring with a new form, harking back - as its name implies - to the architecture of Antiquity. The gem in all its purity and beauty is truly the focus of interest, but is accented in an entirely new way with a cylinder on either side composed of three baguette-cut diamonds. A cabochon is placed at the extremities of each cylinder, to give the design a classic balance, much in the manner of antique columns. The proportions of these elements vary with every ring, for they are determined by the size of the particular stone and by the shape of its cut. In every aspect the design exemplifies the constant search for aesthetic forms that reconcile tradition and timelessness with novelty and modernity.
Creativity in the materials chosen for a jewel is a second area in which Mauboussin traditionally excels. Indeed as early as the nineteenth-century, the eminent jeweller Georges Fouquet judged the House of Noury to be "a venerable firm well known for the quality of its stones". The firm's award-winning Art Deco creations cemented this reputation, using rock crystal, coral, onyx, jade and mother-of-pearl, juxtaposed in daring new colour combinations. Henceforward, reviving the use of different gem materials in original ways was to be a typical trait of Mauboussin's production, and the recent "NADIA" range, first introduced in 1983, is a perfect case in point. A unique combination of Nacre (or mother-of-pearl) and DIAmond in the same jewel (hence the name), a NADIA ring offsets the life of a solitaire gemstone with the soft glow of diffuse, pearly iridescence, encased within a simple, smooth gold surround. A multitude of variations on this theme continue to be successful - in grey or black nacre; ribbed, fluted or matelasse; set with diamonds or coloured stones such as peridots and tourmalines. A similar inventiveness is seen in the distinctive "OPERA" series with its mix of Tahitian pearls, brilliant-cut diamonds and buff-top coloured stones such as tourmalines and citrines.
The final defining feature of Mauboussin production is the strict standard of traditional craftsmanship that is adhered to in the execution of every piece. The firm's workshops are constantly refining ancient know-how while searching for new fabrication techniques. In 1994 a new watch-making division was born of the ambition to bring together advanced Swiss technology and quintessential French Haute Joaillerie. From this remit a line of gentlemen's watches was created, highly distinctive in its appearance with finely-etched bezels surrounding the face, and produced in steel, gold, silver or gemset (using precious stones or more unusual opal, blue agate, onyx, mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli or coral). This was followed in 1998 by the launch of the prestigious Lady M watch, a symbol of the successful harmony between watch- and jewellery-making.
The union of combined genius in all these various aspects results in creations such as the exquisite "FOULARD" parure. First presented at La Biennale des Antiquairies in 1990, this suite of bracelet, collar necklace and ear clips, represents a vintage version of Mauboussin's daring creativity. The softly draping knot designs of each piece are brought together with an elaborately jewelled "scarf ring" motif. The gold mount of the FOULARD necklace for instance is pave-set with brilliants and cross-bars of rubies and sapphires to produce an undulating pavement of gemstones, studded with five large step-cut emeralds, while the central "scarf ring" is set with square-cut diamonds and diamond and emerald baguettes. Such exclusive jewels are manifestations of the resolve to carry creative inspirations to the limit, yet within the boundaries of rigorous craftsmanship; to combine commitment to tradition with a taste for modernity.
It is this dualism of modernity and tradition which has served to differentiate Mauboussin since its very inception. It is the two-cornered Harlequin's hat which the firm wears so well. Mauboussin creations are born of true design innovation, researched and executed with absolute precision according to time-honoured know-how, just as they have been since 1827, yet without compromising the spirit of "joie de vivre" which lies at the very heart of the jeweller's art. Deftly Mauboussin juggles these different balls, combining and balancing them with apparent ease to produce a flawless performance for our constant entertainment and delight. A H arlequin indeed....