UNVEILING THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE

Left: Floral Vanity Case, Watch And Pencil

These delicate and flamboyant Art Deco boxes stir up curiosity and induce people to lift the veil of mystery. Crafted in gold and enriched with ornamental
or precious stones and adorned with mother-of-pearl, lacquer or translucent enamel, these boxes are genuinely sensational. The memories of Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan and his wife, Princess Catherine, are enfolded in these golden boxes. Unveil these incredible masterpieces to unleash their beautiful stories and enduring love.

For a period of almost thirty years, Prince Sadrrudin amassed a collection of boxes, clocks and precious objects created by the greatest jewelry houses of the Place Vendôme in Paris. These he offered to his wife as a lifetime of memory and guardianship to celebrate their everlasting love. These beautifully crafted objects are all unique in their own shapes. Earlier at the ‘Precious Art Deco Objects’ exhibition, I had an opportunity to admire these ingenious masterpieces up close. To quote Henry Miller: ‘Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.’

Left: “Landscape Vanity Case” seems to record the miles the couple travelled together. With a carved and tinted mother-of-pearl mosaic landscape, the case depicts a Chinese junk and a fishing boat in a watery landscape with mountains in the background and clouds overhead.

“Floral Vanity Case, Watch and Pencil” evokes a lush garden around a calm pool. The polychrome enamel, lapis, and diamond face are both figurative and geometric, pushing the abstraction of flowers to the extreme with hexagons and squares in a rich palette. There is a hidden spring lock which releases a rectangular watch on one side which symbolises the time the couple spent together.

Flowers are appraised as the embodiment of love. If you take care of her, she will never wither or fade. Prince Sadruddin presented this never-fading “Floral Sash Vanity Case” to his wife as a testimony of his everlasting love. With an exceptional design, the central panel of this vanity case mimics a typical Japanese textile design in pattern and color for a woman’s obi, a sash for traditional dress. The case is accented with three cabochon sapphires at the front and sides, the reverse with a blue enamel center, showcasing its extravagance and luxury.

Lac Burgauté Box
Cartier
Lac burgauté, diamond, coral, enamel, emerald, nephrite and gold Paris, circa 1927

The joy of being together is having a companion no matter where you go. “Landscape Vanity Case” seems to record the miles the couple travelled together. With a carved and tinted mother-of-pearl mosaic landscape, the case depicts a Chinese junk and a fishing boat in a watery landscape with mountains in the background and clouds overhead. Although this serenity and stillness could not be taken away, it was imprinted in the memory of the two.

You know eternal love exists when you feel revived every day even with the same person besides you. Unveiling the “’Feuilles’ Cigarette Case“, there is an engravement inside: Kate from Sadri, Thirty years (and more) of happiness, 25 November 2002. There is no doubt that Prince Saderudin cherished every day that he spent with his wife; these words just reinforced the perseverance of their forever love.

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