Jean Cocteau and his Cartier Paris sword

Jean Cocteau was an artist “to whom” according to Edith Wharton, “every great line of poetry was a sunrise, every sunset the foundation of the Heavenly City.” He was also an admirer of Cartier, writing in his early 20s that the jeweller was “a subtle magician who captures fragments of the moon on a thread of sun”. Back then, his fame was confined to small literary circles but it soon grew, as did the controversy surrounding him.

#Cocteau, like his friend Louis Cartier, refused to follow trends. He hungrily explored multiple art forms from poems, novels and plays to sketching, painting, music and film. Each time he created something new, he pushed the boundaries of what had gone before so that despite his brilliance, the Académie Française labelled him a “bad pupil”. And yet in the end, his genius would win out: at 66 yrs old, Cocteau was finally invited to join their prestigious literary body.

For his inaugural 2 hour speech, Cocteau delighted the crowds with not only his wit but also his outfit: he wore #Lanvin robes and in his left hand he held a remarkable Cartier sword. Cartier had been making these swords since the 30s (each one resulted from conversations between a Cartier designer and the future academician to reflect his life’s work) but this one was different: it was designed by #jeancocteau himself.
Like his writings, Cocteau’s sword was signed with a star (in diamonds and rubies). The handguard traced the profile of Orpheus, his mythological muse. The scabbard evoked the grille surrounding the gardens of the Palais-Royal, his home; and at its tip, a hand clutched an ivory ball referencing the snow-covered stone in #LesEnfantsTerribles. The gems were gifted by friends, including #CocoChanel.

Sadly #LouisCartier didn’t live long enough to see his friend become one of ‘les immortels’ (as academicians are known), but his brother #PierreCartier and #JeanneToussaint remained friends with Cocteau for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile the sword, a symbolic work of art by and for a great artist, stands out as one of the Cartiers’ most unique creations for a client who would prove inspirational in more ways than one (more to follow on that..)