Since its first appearance in its abstract form in 1914, Cartier has continually reinterpreted the panther. For 2020 Cartier’s Maison des Métiers d’Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds has revealed a new Ronde Louis Cartier with its iconic panther expressed exquisitely in straw and gold marquetry and enamel filigree.
Cartier Métiers d’Art at its highest levels are on display as the marquetry craftsmen, jewellers, designers, enamellers, gem-setters and miniature painters from Maison des Métiers d’Art distill their techniques in the splendid form of the new Ronde Louis Cartier.
The feline illuminates multiple Cartier creations with varied inspirations. From motif to material or volume, everything related to Cartier’s “spirit animal” provides reason to go beyond the different crafts and techniques allowing new creative territories resulting from unexpected encounters; 2020 is no different, two new Métiers d’Art showcasing straw and gold marquetry on the dials of the new Ronde Louis Cartier adds precious metal to the palette of materials already used in marquetry, making it possible to work with volume and create a rendering reminiscent of bas-relief.
The dial of the new Ronde Louis Cartier is an adventurous never-before-seen undertaking which required the marquetry craftsman to be trained in gold work by the jewellers from the Maison des Métiers d’Art, highlighting the synergistic relationship within the atelier that elevates Cartier Métiers d’Art beyond the usual handicrafts.
Ronde Louis Cartier Straw and Gold Marquetry
First Use of gold: Ronde Louis Cartier Straw and Gold Marquetry
Seventy-five blades of straw in different sizes and shades, produced in 11 colours, make up the parts of the décor. The panther’s head is comprised of more than sixty-five elements in white, yellow and pink gold, which are shaped and satin-finished one by one. With an unusual play of meta-exploration, yellow gold wires are embedded in natural straw elements, adding complexity and sophistication that the craftsmen explored for the first time in the new Ronde Louis Cartier Straw and Gold Marquetry.
Cartier combines ceramic arts with the mesmerising composition of marquetry by enamelling the spots on the coat and eyes; the result is a new Ronde Louis Cartier with the face of a panther which looks like its looking back into one’s soul. The rich colour palette contrasts black and white with a large number of shades between opaline and yellow. For the eyes, four different shades come together on a minuscule surface. The gaze comes to life with sparkle, shine and depth, an expression of Cartier’s figurative and realist art. The spots in the background are created with miniature paint.
The panther on the 2020 Ronde Louis Cartier Straw and Gold Marquetry is breathed into being after more than 100 hours, 97 of which are spent on the dial alone, this creation is available in a limited edition of 30 individually numbered timepieces.
Movement Manual Winding manufacture calibre 430 MC with 38 hours power reserve
Case 42 mm 18k white gold with splash resistance
Strap Leather
Price On Application
Ronde Louis Cartier Enamel Filigree
2020 is also the year that designers and craftsmen from Cartier’s Maison des Métiers d’Art have adapted the filigree technique to be used with enamel. With this technique, the enamel powder is heated, and the glass is stretched until it takes the shape of bamboo, before being set and fixed to the dial by tiny strands of yellow gold. This creates the bamboo effect used in the foreground of the new Ronde Louis Cartier Enamel Filigree, setting the stage for the stalking panther.
Ronde Louis Cartier Enamel Filigree
To add perspective to the motif and play with the effects of depth for the panther of the Ronde Louis Cartier Enamel Filigree, the craftsmen had to turn to other areas of expertise: domed champlevé enamel for the bamboo in the background and black spots of the beast’s fur and eyes, as well as miniature painting for the sky and the background bamboo.
Movement Manual Winding manufacture calibre 430 MC with 38 hours power reserve
Case 42 mm 18k white gold with 269 brilliant-cut diamonds and splash resistance
Strap Leather
Price On Application
The Ronde Louis Cartier Enamel Filigree is available in a limited edition of 30 individually numbered pieces.
