Line Vautrin Sculptor, Jeweller, Magician Book 1992
About the Item
- Designer:Line Vautrin
- Brand:Line Vautrin
- Dimensions:Height: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)Width: 8.75 in (22.23 cm)Depth: 0.75 in (1.91 cm)
- Style:Modernist (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Hardbound in linen with gloss paper dust jacket.
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Good condition with some wear to the paper dust jacket including a small torn section on one edge as shown in photograph 12.
- Seller Location:Atlanta, GA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU487322468422
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 1 day of delivery.
- Gio Ponti Coffee Table Book, 1990By Gio PontiLocated in Atlanta, GABeautifully published 1990 book entitled, Gio Ponti The Complete Work 1923-1978, by his daughter and oft time collaborator, Lisa Licitra Ponti. The book is 288 pages filled with phot...Category
1990s Italian Design
- Sottsass Coffee Table Book Featuring Memphis Design, Phaidon, 2014By Ettore SottsassLocated in Atlanta, GAPhaidon Publishing's 2014 book about iconic Italian designer, Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007) as compiled by art and architecture historian, Philippe Thomé. The 470 pages of this comple...Category
2010s Chinese Design
- Family Houses by the Sea Coffee Table Book, 1993Located in Atlanta, GA'Family Houses By The Sea' is a 1993 Clarkson Potter publication by Jerome Darblay and Alexandra D'Arnoux featuring 21 of the most charming ocean view homes and old school resorts fr...Category
1990s American Design
- 1994 Book On the History & Fashion of ChatelainesLocated in Atlanta, GAIf chatelaines are your thing then curl up with this book for a good dose of eye candy ... if you don't know much about chatelaines then you will have a great appreciation after read...Category
Mid-19th Century British Fashion
- Vogue's Book of Houses, Gardens, People With Photography by Horst, 1968Located in Atlanta, GABeautiful people, lush gardens and stylish interiors ... Vogue's Book of Houses, Gardens, People, published by Viking Press in 1968, offers an insider's view of fascinating people an...Category
1960s American Style
- Pucci Coffee Table Book Published by Taschen, 2021By TASCHEN, Emilio PucciLocated in Atlanta, GAPucci from cover to cover! Fabulous 448 page coffee table book published by Taschen in Italy compiling the life and times of Emilio Pucci and his iconic fashion house. His talented...Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Fashion
- Gio Ponti The Complete Work 1923 - 1978 1st Edition Hard Cover BookBy Gio PontiLocated in University City, MOGio Ponti The Complete Work 1923 - 1978 1st Edition Hard Cover Book This is the first complete survey and thematic profile of one of the most prolific and accomplished Italian arch...Category
1990s Italian Design
- Resonances de Cartier: High Jewelry & Precious Objects Hard Cover Book c 2017By CartierLocated in University City, MOResonances de Cartier: High Jewelry & Precious Objects hardcover book c 2017 A wonderful archive featuring an array of exquisite Cartier's precious jewelry designs The hardcover boo...Category
2010s Italian Wearable Art
- David Webb A Walk in the Woods Artful Animals Exhibition Pamphlet Book c 2022By David WebbLocated in University City, MODavid Webb's A Walk in the Woods Artful Animals Soft Cover Pamphlet Exhibition Book c 2022 The soft cover brochure book was from a 2022 David Webb exhibition featuring an archive ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Softcover and Paperback
- Rare Hard Cover Art Deco Jewelry Book from Rizzoli by Sylvie Raulet c 1984By RizzoliLocated in University City, MOThe rare hardcover large scale coffee table Rizzoli book is an extraordinary archive of 20th century art deco jewelry and accessories The 329 page book features exquisite art deco d...Category
1980s Italian Fashion
- Chopard The Passion for Excellence Hard Cover Book c 2010By ChopardLocated in University City, MOChopard The Passion for Excellence large scale hardcover book with dust jacket c 2010 The 296 page book is a lavish archive of Chopard's exquisite precious jewelry designs. It prim...Category
2010s German Style
- Snowdon: A Life in View Hardcover Illustrated by Antony Armstrong Jones 2014Located in North Hollywood, CASnowdon: A Life in View Hardcover – Illustrated, September-23-2014. by Antony Armstrong Jones (Author), Frances Von Hofmannsthal (Editor), Patri...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Fashion