EARLY 20TH CENTURY SEMI-MYSTERY CLOCK, CARTIERImportant information about this lot
Price Realised CHF 137,500
Estimate
CHF 120,000 - CHF 180,000
Estimates do not reflect the final hammer price and do not include buyer's premium, any applicable taxes or artist's resale right. Please see the Conditions of Sale for full details.
Iya Grigorievna de Gay was born in St Petersburg in 1897. During the Russian Revolution, together with her family she escaped to Finland, before moving to Paris. She became Iya Lady Abdy in 1923 after her marriage to English ship-owner Sir Robert Abdy. Iya was a striking blonde over six feet tall, Cecil Beaton said that she ‘invented size’. Not only remarkable by her physique, Iya was clever and sharp-minded, she frequented the salons of the Comtesse de Noailles and rubbed elbows with the most fashionable artists of the time, couturiers like Chanel, photographers like Man Ray, Cecil Beaton or George Hoyningen Huene, writers like Cocteau and Antonin. Just like many of the ‘bright young things’ of the early 20th century, Lady Abdy regularly shopped at Cartier. It is hardly surprising to find in her collection a beautiful example of Cartier mathematic design, such as this comet clocks. Lady Abdy died in Paris in 1993.
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You have agreed to be bound by the Conditions of Sale and if your bid is successful, you are legally obliged to pay for the lot you have won. The purchase price for a successful bid will be the sum of your final bid plus a buyer’s premium, any applicable taxes and any artist resale royalty, exclusive of shipping-related expenses.
Condition report
A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.
The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.
- Overall condition good. A few traces of tarnish and scratches throughout. Gross weight: 326 gr. - O.Bachet & A. Cartier, 2020, expertise no. BC2003-1: Semi-mystery 'Planet' desk clock with folding strut, Cartier Paris, circa 1920. Particularity: this clock was the property of Iya Grigorievna de Gay, a Russian aristocrat, who became Lady Abdy after her wedding in 1923. Made in Paris by Maurice Couët, the clock was sold in the Cartier London store on New Bond Street. - Case signed Cartier, maker Maurice Coüet, nos. SL 2895, SL 7750, 365 and 5. Movement signed European Watch & Clock Co Inc., no. 122531. - The pink guilloché enamel in good condition, a few black spots. - The white enamel with minor losses. - The onyx in good condition. - The diamonds all complete. - Movement ticking at time of cataloguing, working order and timekeeping cannot be guaranteed at time of purchase. - Please see Important Notice at the back of the catalogue for all clocks and watches and regarding coloured stones.
Cost calculator
Lot 42Sale 19662
EARLY 20TH CENTURY SEMI-MYSTERY CLOCK, CARTIEREstimate: CHF 120,000 - 180,000
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