AN ART DECO CIGARETTE AND VANITY CASE, BY CARTIER

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY

Details

AN ART DECO CIGARETTE AND VANITY CASE, BY CARTIER
The striped gold and black enamel oval case with diamond borders and lipstick holder at the top, opening to reveal a cigarette compartment and two lidded compartments, one with strike-a-light inside the lid, one with a mirror to the lid, engraved 'Duchess of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace', suspended from a twin gold chain, onyx links and onyx ring, 15.7 cm. long, with French assay mark for gold, in original green leather fitted Cartier case
Signed Cartier, Paris, Londres, New York, no. 0109

Provenance

Gladys, Duchess of Marlborough (1881-1977), by family descent

The most beautiful of four daughters of Edward Parker Deacon, a wealthy gentleman from Boston, Gladys, determined to outdo the recently divorced Consuelo Vanderbilt, married the 9th Duke of Marlborough in 1921. According to the Duchesses archives, this vanity case was purchased from Cartier by the Duke as a Christmas present for his wife on 7 Decmeber 1922

With special thanks to Mr Hugo Vickers, author of Gladys, Duchess of Marlborough, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1979

Lot Essay

Cf. J. Rudoe, Cartier 1900-1939, British Museum Press, 1997, p. 127
Cf. H. Nadelhoffer, Cartier, Jewellers Extraordinary, Harry N. Abrams, 1984, p. 112

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