Van Cleef & Arpels
Vanity Case
circa 1925
(semi-precious stones, diamond, gold, crystal and ‘lapis-lazuli’ enamel)
Ideas of growth and of the virtue in patience play together beautifully in this piece. Each forms one third of the case’s visual aesthetic: the stemming flowers which slowly carpet the crystal background (from left to right) form the concept of nature and the persistence of its irregular grace; the empty crystal space into which the flowers steadily grow (the case’s middle and right side) forms the concept of patience, the idea that a void is not necessarily a negative thing, but an area in which potential is always present; and thirdly, the semi-precious stones and imitational enamel each prove, in their own ways, the concept that beauty is not in the material itself but in the eye of the beholder.
Few pearls speckle the case’s face, but each is placed thoughtfully and methodically among the mix of seemingly-scattered jewels. The same is for the colour blue: either in stone or enamel, it seemingly ‘paints’ the surface of the vanity case sparsely but confidently, giving it a quality of deep, inborn elegance. But the case also reveals a paradox: while its asymmetrical clutter of flowers denotes the liveliness and triumph in the lack of human control found in nature, it is equally apparent that this particular clutter is contained in a neat, rectangular playpen. So is the cluster of flower’s flamboyant growth mocked by its very own makers, those who pruned each of its blooming stone petals and leaves? Or is this entire Van Cleef & Arpels ensemble referring to the bigger picture of always ‘thinking outside of the box’?
