Cartier Gold & Lapis Lazuli Cigarette Box c. 1940

Sothebys NY sold this 'casket' from the 1940s for US $ 25,000 last week. This was mid-estimate. Not the most inspired design but none the less, an elegant table accessory from a time when smoking and offering cigarettes to one's guests was de rigueur. The addition of the lapis handles adds colour and illustrates how Cartier always went the 'extra mile' to make their objets d'art special.