Cartier & Myths

An unprecedented dialogue between Cartier creations and the myths and artwork of antiquity

This sumptuous volume traces the influence of Greco-Roman culture on Cartier jewelry designs from the late 19th and 20th centuries. Louis Cartier embraced the archaeological revival movement initiated by the great collectors and goldsmiths of the 19th century, helping to facilitate a fertile stylistic exchange between Rome and Paris: integrating old and new. Take, for example, Cartier's "Trinity" ring, inspired in equal measure by the avant-garde poet Jean Cocteau and antiquity.
Cartier & Myths delves into this fascinating history of aesthetic reappropriation, casting Cartier as its leading protagonist. In parallel, the volume unspools a more general study of jewelry's role in ancient mythology. Supplementing these two core sections are examinations of Roman sculptures in colored marble in the Capitoline collections as well as depictions of classical beauty in cinema. Vivid plate sections interspersed throughout pair Cartier designs with artifacts from antiquity.