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an image of a blue and gold pen and a knife on a white surfacean image of a blue pen in a case on a white background
Hermitage Fine Art

Estimate €3,200 - €3,500
Sale commission
Description
CARTIER PARIS BELLE ÉPOQUE GOLD, SILVER, STEEL, AGATE AND GUILLOCHÉ BLUE ENAMEL SCRAPER/PAPER CUTTER, CIRCA 1906–07 Scraper/letter opener with an oblong silver handle and a guilloché-decorated, blue-enamelled sheath featuring an agate border at the base. Steel scraper blade. Plain gold end caps which can be engraved with initials or a coat of arms. Central gold sections engraved with a wave-shaped border. Signed ‘CARTIER Paris Londres’ (on the steel blade), numbered ‘1800’ Hallmarks: French hallmark for 18k gold ‘eagle’s head’ 20.5 x 2.1 cm gross weight: circa 110 gr. circa 1906–07 in its original red ‘Cartier’ leather case with a silk lining and a gold Cartier logo bearing the addresses in Paris and London prior to 1910 Certificate of authenticity by Alain Cartier, CNE-accredited expert, Paris, and LAPADA, London, dated 28 March 2024. Like Fabergé, Cartier offered its clientele precious objects for everyday use, decorated in the Cartier style and in the style of the period, which primarily featured guilloché enamel with or without semi-precious and precious stones. In the days when wealthy clients wrote their letters with quill pens dipped in ink from precious inkwells, envelopes were sealed with melted wax, the seal’s impression bearing the writer’s coat of arms or initials before the wax cooled and hardened; the scraper was used to remove excess wax or as a letter opener to open the envelope. Cartier sold numerous models of wax scrapers, often as part of a writing set such as the one sold to the soprano Nellie Melba, a Cartier client, illustrated in ‘Cartier – Objets d’exception’, O. Bachet and A. Cartier, Ed. Palais Royal, 2019, vol. 1, page 125. At the buyer’s request, we shall be happy to provide a general report on the condition of the lot described above. However, as we are not professional conservators or restorers, we strongly advise potential buyers to carry out their own inspection or to consult a specialist of their choice to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the lot’s condition. Descriptions of items provided in the catalogue or by correspondence are for information purposes only and should not be regarded as a definitive assessment. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION REGARDING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD ‘AS IS’, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.
See original version (French)
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About the sale DESIGN & JEWELLERY: RUSSIAN AND EUROPEAN JEWELLERY, SILVERWARE AND PORCELAIN, LEATHER GOODS AND LUXURY CLOTHING, OBJECTS OF ART
Auction location
Auction time 10/28/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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