Seashell (Coquillage) Compact

c. 1953–56

Seashell (Coquillage) Compact, c. 1953–56. Jean Schlumberger (French, 1907–1987). 18 karat gold; overall: 33 x 25.4 x 10.2 cm (13 x 10 x 4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.203 One of the most celebrated Parisian designers of jewelry and luxurious accessories, Jean Schlumberger created this compact during the height of popularity for the sunny French Riviera. From the beach clubs of St. Tropez to the casinos of Monte Carlo, fashionable women wore jewels and powdered their noses both night and day. The seashell motif no doubt appealed to such society mavens, enjoying the post-war prosperity of France in the 1950s. A billowy powder puff made of snow white down plucked from a French swan nestles within this solid gold compact.