French Silvered Bronze Box Line Vautrin
About the Item
- Creator:Line Vautrin (Jeweler)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.4 in (1.02 cm)Width: 2.75 in (6.99 cm)Depth: 2.75 in (6.99 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. Good vintage original condition with some wear on the silver on elevated part, consistent with age and handling and renders it a mellowed patina. More wear on the base corners as expected.
- Seller Location:Atlanta, GA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU945027936882
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.
- Large French Silvered Bronze Box Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA silvered bronze poudrier box "Ammonite" by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997). In the 1940s, Line Vautrin designed a series that was inspired by the shape of na...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- 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 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 cover illustrates the biblical story of Moses crossing the desert out of Egypt...Category
Mid-20th Century French 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
- Rare French Small Gilt Bronze Box by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA small gilt bronze pill box by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1940-50s. The rather rare round box features a relief-cast spider on the lid. The interior ...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- Silvered Bronze Box with Relief Cast Poem by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Atlanta, GAA wonderful jewelry box in silvered cast bronze by Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997). From a small special series, the designer created circa 1945-55. on which poems were cast in relief on the cover. Most existing examples features poems that are well-known. This poem, however, was not identified by us, and possibly is a creation of the artist herself. It is a very soulful prose (see the full poem in French below). Signed on the base as shown. We have a gilt bronze box with the same relief cast poem that comes with a three-page Certification in French by Comite Line Vautrin, shown in some photos as well. Reference: For other boxes with poems see "Line Vautrin Sculptor, Jeweller, Magician by Line Vautrin and Patrick Mauries, page 42. "Les glaciers vagabonds qui ébranlent les murs et les anges frileux qui cherchent un asile quand la nuit de décembre anesthésie la ville t’effraient plus que les morts tutélaires et durs Ils désertent pour toi...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
- Collectible Jewelry, Bronze Brooch by Line Vautrin, France, circa 1950By Line VautrinLocated in Auribeau sur Siagne, FRA hanging articulate three-piece gilt bronze brooch "Purgatoire" also known as "Le Ciel, la Terre, et l'Enfer." by Line Vautrin. Each element with f...Category
Vintage 1960s French Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Bronze Jewelry Box Ancient Sarcophagus Reliefs Greek Roman Caesar GladiatorBy Line VautrinLocated in Hyattsville, MDA wonderful heavy cast bronze, hinged/lidded box, lightly polished, and glowing. Depicting ancient relief scenes / characters of Ancient Roman or Greek...Category
Vintage 1920s Italian Greek Revival Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- Flèche et Carquois by Line Vautrin, Pair of Gilt Bronze EarringsBy Line VautrinLocated in Brussels, BEAbout Flèche et Carquois (Arrow and Quiver) by Line Vautrin Rare pair of gilt bronze earrings. One of the earrings represents an arrow which is placed on the side of the ear and gi...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsBronze
- Line Vautrin Mother-of-Pearl Powder CompactBy Line VautrinLocated in New York, NYPowder compact in silvered bronze with incised mother-of-pearl top. Signed.Category
20th Century French Boxes
MaterialsBronze
- Bracelet with tassels by Line VautrinBy Line VautrinLocated in Brussels, BEBracelet with tassels decorated with inlaid mirrors by Line Vautrin. Bracelet made of a simple steel wire fitted with black Talosel tassels inlaid...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
MaterialsSteel