- Want more images or videos?Request additional images or videos from the seller
Line Vautrin Gilt Bronze Box Signed

About the Item
- Creator:Line Vautrin (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 3.94 in (10 cm)Width: 3.94 in (10 cm)Depth: 0.4 in (1 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Saint-Ouen, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1705217504261
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.
Shipping & Returns
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Saint-Ouen, France
- Return Policy
This item cannot be returned.
- Large Bronze and Talossel Box in the Style of Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Saint-Ouen, FRLarge bronze and talossel box in the style of Line Vautrin.Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- Line Vautrin, Bronze Brooch circa 1950, SignedBy Line VautrinLocated in Saint-Ouen, FRLine Vautrin, bronze brooch circa 1950, signed.Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Wood BoxBy Alexandre NollLocated in Saint-Ouen, FRIncredible wood box.Category
Vintage 1940s French Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsWood
$1,995 - Old Ceramic Box circa 1950, Brand to DecipherLocated in Saint-Ouen, FROld ceramic box circa 1950, brand to decipher.Category
Vintage 1950s European Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsCeramic
- Italian design ,2 Small Ceramic Boxes, circa 1970Located in Saint-Ouen, FR2 small ceramic boxes circa 1970 probably Italian work.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Baroque Decorative Boxes
MaterialsCeramic
- Elegant Box in Polished Cast Aluminum and Palm Wood, circa 1970Located in Saint-Ouen, FRElegant box in polished cast aluminum and palm wood, circa 1970.Category
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsAluminum
- Large French Sculpted Bronze Box by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA large bonze box (based on the size, it is likely a card case) by French Parisian art jewelry designer Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1950s. The box features an interesting design i...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- French Gilt Bronze Box Coffre Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA lovely cast bronze powder box (poudrier) by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1950-1960s. The box features a geometrically grid top surface with a four by ...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- Gilt Bronze Fleur Box by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA large cast bronze powder box (poudrier) by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1945-1950. The box called "Fleur" (Flower) features a round form with stylized...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Large Gilt Bronze Feuille Box by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA large cast bronze powder box (poudrier) by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1945-1950. The box called "Feuille" (Leaf) features an irregular leaf form wit...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Line Vautrin 'La Balayeuse Du Sacré Coeur' Silvered Bronze BoxBy Line VautrinLocated in Brussels, BEA very rare box by Line Vautrin called "La balayeuse du Sacré Coeur" (The Sacré Coeur Sweeper) This box depicts a sweeper working on Basilique du Sacré coeur stairs in Paris (Montm...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- French Gilt Bronze Box Coffre Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA lovely cast bronze powder box (poudrier) by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1950-1960s. The box features a geometrically grid top surface with a four by ...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- Gilt Bronze Fleur Box by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA large cast bronze powder box (poudrier) by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1945-1950. The box called "Fleur" (Flower) features a round form with stylized...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Large Gilt Bronze Feuille Box by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA large cast bronze powder box (poudrier) by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1945-1950. The box called "Feuille" (Leaf) features an irregular leaf form wit...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Large and Rare Gilt Bronze Box Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA large gilt bronze poudrier box (power compact) called "Versailles or Les Paves du Roy" (The King's Paving Stone) by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1940s...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- French Sculptured Gilt Bronze Box by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA gilt bronze box or podier by French Jeweler Line Vautrin, in the pattern of "Moise ou la traversee du desert" coric 1940s-1950s. A rare mode in the box, the top surface of the cov...Category
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- Line Vautrin's Box in Gilt Bronze and CorkwoodBy Line VautrinLocated in Paris, FR‘Si tous les gars du monde..’ (‘If all the guys in the world..’) Line Vautrin's box in gilt bronze and corkwood Circa 1945 Bronze doré / golden bronze.Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
Recently Viewed
View MoreThe 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Trusted Global Delivery