Nature Sauvage: Cartier jewelry inspired by animals
Cartier unveiled its latest high jewelry collection in Vienna. The Nature Sauvage jewelry doesn't really make a secret about its theme. It features ladybugs, panthers and other snakes.
The animal world and Cartier jewelry: a shared history
Animals have always been a source of inspiration for Cartier. Historically, wildlife has served as a pretext for the Maison to push the boundaries of design and allow its artisans to display all their know-how.
The Nature Sauvage collection unveiled a few days ago in the legendary Kursalon in Vienna celebrates these creatures in unexpected and surreal forms. These Cartier jewels invite the viewer to embark on a fantastic journey where the natural and the abstract intertwine .
With Nature Sauvage by Cartier , the deep cultural significance of animal symbolism is reinvented through unbridled jewelry creations.
Cartier’s famous bestiary, this legendary menagerie of extraordinary creatures, pays homage to its kindred muses, the majestic beings of the natural world. For over 100 years, this bestiary has provided a showcase for the Maison’s iconoclastic creations . This concept imbues each luxury jewel with rich symbolic meaning and unique artistic expression.
The Cartier panther is obviously part of the Nature Sauvage jewelry collection.
The panther, that feline talisman of power, agility and femininity, has long been the French house’s number one spirit animal . Its graceful silhouette has adorned its jewelry since the early 20th century. Cartier’s panther embodies the Art Deco period’s passion for stylized, geometric motifs with unprecedented glamour.
“ A new perspective on the Cartier Bestiary, to surprise, amaze and bring modernity through unexpected encounters. ” This is how Jacqueline Karachi defined the philosophy of Nature Sauvage jewelry .
An original source of inspiration
Since the dawn of time (cave paintings), animals and their majesty have been more than just muses. They embody the sacred , the revered and the powerful.
In ancient Egypt, the feline reigned as a sanctified embodiment of the powerful goddess Bastet . The royal cat adorned jewelry and amulets , extolling grace and life force. The serpent also held profound symbolism, an embodiment of the eternal cycle of renewal and regeneration. These motifs transcended mere adornment . They revealed belief systems and civilizations’ reverence for the natural world.
Further east, at the end of the ancient Silk Roads , one encountered the triumphant face of the Imperial Dragon . It represented strength , prosperity, and humanity's will to rule the planet. In Asian cultures, this mythical Leviathan was more than a figment of the imagination. The dragon was a living embodiment of the relentless forces of nature itself, and the perpetual cycles of the Universe.
Cartier Nature Sauvage jewelry in a few pieces
As Cartier’s Nature Sauvage collection illustrates, these primordial symbolic meanings have transcended time. The sublime Amphista necklace (above) features two serpentine creatures that curl in a sensual dance, their diamond scales sparkling with emeralds.
The Cartier Celestun brooch reinterprets the iconic motif of the flamingo , an embodiment of grace, beauty and the splendors of the natural world.
At a time when the connection with the natural world tends to relax, Cartier's Nature Sauvage collection emerges as a vital totem. It serves as a statement that reiterates humanity's deep respect for this primordial fauna.
