8 - MAISON CARTIER

MAISON CARTIER Billiken decorative figure, 1910. Carved agate piece, eyes set with rose-cut diamonds, silver setting (> 800), stepped pyramidal base made of agate slabs. Inscribed “Billiken” at the top of the pyramid, numbered 642. H. 7.8 - W. 6.3 - D. 6.3 cm (Two cracks and some chips at the corners and along the edges of the steps) A letter of appraisal from IAJA, dated July 4, 2024, may be provided to the purchaser. Provenance: Acquired from Cartier in New York in 1978. Bibliography: Olivier Bachet, “Cartier: Objets d'exception,” Éditions du Palais Royal, Paris, 2019, model reproduced on p. 458. Appraisal Information: An IAJA certificate of authenticity, dated July 4, 2024, may be provided to the purchaser. Description: “In 1908, Pierre Cartier married Elma Rumsey in St. Louis, Missouri, where she was born. In the same city, at the same time, Florence Pretz, an art teacher, created a small, good-natured figure that she claimed to have seen in a dream. This figure resembles a seated Buddha. He was named Billiken. This name is said to derive from the nickname “Billy,” which was given to the then-President of the United States, William Taft. Others claim that his name is taken from the verses of the Canadian poet William Bliss Carman. The little figure was an instant success. [...] Evoking Hotei, the Japanese god of abundance and contentment with whom he is often confused, the Billiken also enjoyed great success in the Land of the Rising Sun, where he became the god of “things as they ought to be.” [...] It seems that, during his stay in St. Louis, Pierre Cartier heard about the Billiken’s meteoric rise to fame, for as early as 1910, the little figure appeared, carved from agate, perched on a sort of ivory pedestal to which he was secured by a gold chain. [...] Cartier describes him as the “Anglo-Saxon god of happiness”—a god who, of course, never existed. [...] The little figure’s good-natured charm and his whimsical, elfin expression are the keys to his success. Nadelhoffer reports that Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII, was very pleased with her Billiken, as was Prince Youssoupov, who purchased one in 1913. [...] Billikens are primarily made of agate, sometimes adorned with diamond-set eyes, and are often displayed atop objects such as pyramid-shaped paperweights made of aventurine, agate, or rose quartz. Beneath the playful, laughing little Billiken is engraved the word “BILLIKEN.” Reflecting both the Belle Époque’s taste for objects inherited from the Age of Enlightenment and the Orientalist trend in vogue after 1920, magots, Buddhas, and Billikens featured in Cartier’s production throughout the first third of the 20th century. [...] They remained part of the House’s decorative repertoire for a long time.” Olivier Bachet, “Cartier: Exceptional Objects.”