Tales from the Near and Far Easᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚt, both fictional and factual, have long fascinated the Occident. As have tales of fortune and misadventure in 'exotic' locales of the New World.

Orientalism can trace its roots to the Turquerie and Moresque styles of art and architecture in early modern Europe. Furthermore, trade developed by the East India Companies saw the rise of Chinoiserie: Chinese themes in decoration in Western Europe that emerged in late Baroque and Rococo peri🅰ods.

By the 19^th century, archaeological discoveries such as the excavations of ancient Mesopotamian sites of Nineveh and Nimrud, and significant historical events such as the Meiji Restoration and the two Opium Wars began a mania for Oriental elements in art, décor, literature, and architecture. The obsession was further solidified by the discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen, fueling the aptly termed Egyptomania. Likewise, during the 19th century, there was a romantic reimagination of the image of the great Mesoamerican civilizations. Originally perceived as barbaric savages, the image of the Aztecs evolved to that of a h🔴ighly developed society that rivaled the a꧋ncient European civilizations.

It was during this backdrop that Louis-François Cartier founded Maison Cartier in 1847. By then, Orientalism was such a source of great artistic intrigue to European audiences that Cartier, being the preeminent jeweler of the period, would capture the imagination of their patrons by crafting exquisite objet d’art inspired by the exotic fashions ౠof the time with materials such as jade, coral, inlaid mother-of-pearl, enamel, ꦅand lacquer.

The period during which Louis-François’ grandsons Louis, Pierre, and Jacques took over the firm in the late 19^th century, saw some of the best examples of this craze. The exuberance of the Roaring Twenties following the First World War, saw the production of large numbers of jewelry, timepieces, and objets de vertu that fused Oriental and Art Deco aesthetics.

Largely credited with the pieces that defined the aesthetics of the brand, Louis Cartier was not only a creative genius and an astute businessman, but he was also ♌a collector of antiques himself. His own collection of Asian artifacts along with many imported examples that proliferated Europe at the time, provided boundless inspiration for the designers at Cartier.

The present lot is an extremely rare example of Aztec inspiration on Cartier design. The great American civilizations were rarely featured as Cartier, like other Grand Parisian Houses, focused on designs inspired by the Near and Far East. The scroll motifs and bold use of colors created with cloisonné enamel expertly combines Aztec geometric forms and Art Deco aesthetics. The hour hand is crafted in the form of a serpent, a significant animal in Aztec mythology and religion associated with several gods such as Quetzalcoatl, Xiuhcoatl, Mixcoatl, and Coatlicue. The serpent is featured prominently throughout Aztec architec🦄ture and decoration.

The present lot is accompanied by its original fitted box and a service invoice from Cartier d♚ated 20 November 1997. We are pleased to offer this fr🤪esh-to-market lot, consigned directly from the family of the original owner.

Illustrations of similar pieces by Cartier can be found in Le Temps de Cartier by Jader Barracca, Giampiero Negretti and Franco Nencini, p. 214 & 215 and Cartier Exceptional Objects by Olivier Bachet and Alain Cartier, p. 166, p. 244, p. 308, p. 337𝓀, ♓& p. 384.