Gilded Bronze Box with Poem by French Art Jeweler Line Vautrin

About the Item
- Creator:Line Vautrin (Jeweler)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.375 in (9.53 mm)Width: 3.5 in (8.89 cm)Depth: 3.5 in (8.89 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor overall surface wear and small indentation on the base, slight unevenness on one internal wall, all as shown in detail photos.
- Seller Location:Atlanta, GA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU945027946822
Line Vautrin
Celebrated as the “poetess of metal” by Vogue magazine, designer Line Vautrin’s provocative works, which span furniture and jewelry, are characterized by fanciful forms and technical excellence. An audacious decorative artist and intellectual during a time when women were expected to fall into traditional roles, her inspirational designs show her passion for literature, wordplay and mythological allegory.
Born in 1914, Vautrin possessed a sense of curiosity and keen observational skills that led her to start creating at an early age. A talented autodidact, she taught herself to work with metal while spending time in her family’s bronze foundry. Vautrin had already mastered the skills of casting, carving, gilding and polishing bronze by the time she was in her early teens, and introduced her first line of jewelry when she was only twenty years old, offering her unique brooches, belt clasps and buttons to a select group of customers. In 1937, Vautrin helmed a small booth at the Paris International Exposition, where she gained some notoriety for her handcrafted accessories. Around the same time, Vautrin worked briefly for Elsa Schiaparelli, a like-minded fashion designer whose achievements propelled her onto the cover of Time magazine in 1934.
Vautrin opened a modest boutique near the Champs-Élysées in the late 1930s. During World War II, she created playful and sophisticated necklaces, powder boxes, earrings and other items that gave her clientele a welcome respite from wartime hardships. There was great demand for Vautrin’s work, and she opened a larger shop on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1946. Shortly thereafter, she opened her own atelier in Paris’s then run-down Marais district with her husband, interior decorator Jacques Armand Bonnaud. The neighborhood would later become world-famous for its boutiques and designer shops.
Vautrin’s boundless curiosity led her to constantly experiment with new materials and processes. In 1955, she perfected her technique with a new form of cellulose acetate resin, which she patented under the name Talosel. Vautrin used this material extensively to create complicated mirrored inlays, which became one of her signature motifs.
Throughout her life, Vautrin played with literary and religious iconography in her designs, drawing inspiration from common aphorisms, ancient world mythologies and alchemical principles. Her passion for symbology and the written word is reflected in her work, which often features intricate lettering and carefully rendered shapes and figures. Vautrin's pieces were imbued with her own sense of humor and love of fantasy.
In 1969, Vautrin closed her shop, and, alongside her daughter, Marie-Laure Bonnaud-Vautrin, opened a craft school to teach her innovative techniques to aspiring artists. Vautrin retired in 1980 but continued to create art from her apartment up until her death in 1997. Her individualism earned her a place among the most iconic creators of mid-century jewelry and decorative objects. Actress Brigitte Bardot and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent became notable collectors of her work.
In 1992, Vautrin was recognized for her work in developing new decorative techniques by the Société d'Encouragement aux Métiers d’Art (later the Institut National des Métiers d’Art). Her designs were also celebrated by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which held a retrospective of her works in 1999.
Find vintage Line Vautrin mirrors, decorative objects and collectibles on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Atlanta, GA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- French Line Vautrin Bronze Poem Box with Sonnet by Felix ArversBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA wonderful jewelry box in gilt cast bronze by Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997). From a small special series, the designer created circa 1945-55. on which some French poems were cast in relief on the cover. This box features a well-known love poem "Sonnet" by Félix Arvers (1806 – 1850), widely considered as one of the most romantic French poems written about unrequited love and longing. Three out of four passages are shown on the lid except the third one. The box is lined with cork. There is a line on the back from casting, commonly seen in the boxes of the series. Mon âme a son secret, ma vie a son mystère, Un amour éternel en un moment conçu Le mal est sans espoir, aussi j'ai dû le taire, Et celle qui l'a fait n'en a jamais rien su. Hélas ! j'aurai passé près d'elle inaperçu, Toujours à ses côtés, et pourtant solitaire. Et j'aurai jusqu'au bout fait mon temps sur la terre, N'osant rien demander et n'ayant rien reçu. Pour elle, quoique Dieu l'ait faite douce et tendre, Elle suit son chemin, distraite et sans entendre Ce murmure d'amour élevé sur ses pas. À l'austère devoir, pieusement fidèle, Elle dira, lisant ces vers tout remplis d'elle " Quelle est donc cette femme ? " et ne comprendra pas. A secret fills my soul, and a mystery fills my life, An eternal love conceived in an instant. As the scourge was hopeless, it remained wordless, And the one responsible was unaware of it. Alas! I lived close to her but without notice, Always by her side yet so lonely. And I shall have lived my days on this Earth, Not daring to ask for anything, obtaining nothing. Even though God made her gentle and tender, She goes her way, careless and oblivious To the sough of love rising...Category
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