The Inspiration Behind the Cartier Panthers

Inspiration is a funny thing, can’t know when or where it will strike. Even when it does, it’s not like it can be neatly packaged or explained. Take the Cartier panthers…

Much has been written about the role of #JeanneToussaint with Cartier’s #pantherjewels. She was Louis Cartier’s lover for a time and later the artistic director in Paris; and on the panther theme: her nickname was Pan Pan, she was an early adopter of the leopard skin coat, and she owned a panther #vanitycase. A strong stylish woman in a man’s world, she became friends with the Duchess of Windsor (more on her soon) who shared a love of the #bigcatjewels.

My grandfather told me other stories about the inspiration behind the #CartierPanthers: how his father had been entranced by the big cats on trips to India through the 1920s and 30s, and how – on returning home - he used to love reading his young children #TheJungleBook at night, lingering over illustrations of Bagheera the Panther. Later, in both Paris and London, the firm’s designers – like #PierreLemarchand and #DennisGardner - would head off to the zoo on lunch breaks, sketching all kinds of animals – everything from flamingos to tigers – that they would then use as inspiration for glittering jewels.

And then, just when you think you’ve understood the source of inspiration, something else turns up – like this book of drawings that I stumbled across not so long ago. Those eagle-eyed might be able to see “J Cartier” so it must have belonged to my great-grandfather, Jacques Cartier, the same man so bowled over by the grace and power of the panthers in the wild.

Perhaps it doesn’t matter where the inspiration comes from, just great when it comes at all! What’s interesting is how a motif like the #Cartierpanther has interacted with so many people over decades - from designers to craftsmen to clients – and continues to do so. Take the #diamond #onyx #pantherbracelet on the right, the beautifully articulated one that the #DuchessofWindsor bought in 1952. A decade ago it went under the hammer at Sotheby’s and ended up breaking 2 auction records: the most expensive bracelet ever sold, and the most expensive Cartier item too. It reached $7m.