Cartier’s free Into the Wild exhibition in Singapore

A FELINE WITH A LONG HISTORY

The Panther’s place in Cartier’s history stretches back more than a century. In 1914, its spotted coat appeared as an abstract pattern on a wristwatch. That same year, French illustrator George Barbier was commissioned to create an invitation for a Cartier jewellery exhibition, depicting a black panther at a woman’s feet.

Jeanne Toussaint played a defining role in transforming the animal into one of Cartier’s most enduring signatures. Appointed creative director in 1933, Toussaint – herself nicknamed La Panthere – helped give the big cat the sculptural presence that remains central to its identity.

In 1948, the Panther took three-dimensional form in a brooch created for the Duchess of Windsor, with the gold-and-enamel animal poised on an emerald. It marked an important step in the transformation of a spotted motif into a lifelike creature with posture and personality. Today, the feline’s identity can be expressed through a recognisable head, the curve of a body or the suggestion of movement, without reproducing the entire animal.

NATURE INTERPRETED THROUGH SCENT