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Lot Essay
SAINT CHRISTOPHER, PATRON SAINT OF TRAVELLERS
This finely conceived plaque depicting Saint Christopher, patron saint of travellers, was designed to be affixed to the dashboard of a motor car as a symbol of protection and safe passage. The saint is traditionally represented carrying the Christ Child across a river, an image long associated with guidance through danger and the safeguarding of travellers.
With the rapid expansion of private motoring during the early twentieth century, Saint Christopher charms became increasingly popular among motorists. They were produced by luxury houses, silversmiths and specialist badge-makers in a variety of forms, including enamelled dashboard plaques, silver medallions, radiator badges and three-dimensional mascots. Often presented as gifts to mark the purchase of a new automobile or the beginning of a journey, these objects combined devotional meaning with decorative refinement.
Created by Cartier circa 1930, this example transforms a traditional religious image into an elegant accessory for the modern motorist, reflecting both the excitement of early automobile travel and an enduring desire for reassurance on the road.
This finely conceived plaque depicting Saint Christopher, patron saint of travellers, was designed to be affixed to the dashboard of a motor car as a symbol of protection and safe passage. The saint is traditionally represented carrying the Christ Child across a river, an image long associated with guidance through danger and the safeguarding of travellers.
With the rapid expansion of private motoring during the early twentieth century, Saint Christopher charms became increasingly popular among motorists. They were produced by luxury houses, silversmiths and specialist badge-makers in a variety of forms, including enamelled dashboard plaques, silver medallions, radiator badges and three-dimensional mascots. Often presented as gifts to mark the purchase of a new automobile or the beginning of a journey, these objects combined devotional meaning with decorative refinement.
Created by Cartier circa 1930, this example transforms a traditional religious image into an elegant accessory for the modern motorist, reflecting both the excitement of early automobile travel and an enduring desire for reassurance on the road.