Rectangular silver gilded minaudière, black enameled, floral design with turquoise and ruby cabochons, interior provided with lipstick and powder compartments, with separate black enamel powder box, size 15×10 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, France, circa 1939. Minaudières by Van Cleef & Arpels
It is believed that the minaudière appeared in the 1920s thanks to Charles Arpels, the manager of the Parisian boutique of the jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels. The story goes that the first minaudière was made for his friend, the wife of the American railroad magnate Frank Jay Gould, Florence Jay Gould.
Florence kept everything she needed for a night out, such as cigarettes, lipstick, powder, in a metal cigarette box. Noticing this habit, Charles soon gave her his first elaborate cosmetic bag in the form of a rigid box that contained everything a fashionable lady of the 1930s needed – powder, lipstick, mirror, sometimes a comb or a lighter.
Rectangular silver gilt minaudière, black enamelled, decorated with floral motifs and ruby cabochons, interior with two compartments provided with powder box, Van Cleef & Arpels, France, circa 1940
The name “minaudière” (coquette, coquette) was given to this wonderful accessory in honor of Estelle Arpels, the sister of Charles and the wife of the founder of Van Cleef & Arpels, Alfred Van Cleef, who, according to her brothers, was a desperate coquette. The name has been patented and registered by Van Cleef & Arpels. Soon other jewelers embraced the concept and created their own variations of the popular Minaudiere.
Silver gilded minaudière with embossed texture and palmette clasp, set with rubies and diamonds, two-compartment interior with mirror and tortoiseshell comb, 13.7 x 7.7 x 2.2 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, 1960s.Rectangular silver gilded minaudière, black lacquered, decorated with a stylized white and yellow gold flower clasp set with rubies and diamonds, three-compartment interior with mirror, lipstick holder and powder box, size 15×12 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, circa 1937.
Rectangular silver gilt minaudière, black lacquered, adorned with a ruby clasp, interior provided with a mirror, lipstick holder, powder box and lighter, size 17×12.5 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, 1930s.Jewelery silver gilded cosmetic case, covered with black enamel, set with diamonds, length 8 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, circa 1925. And a silver gilded minaudière with engraved floral pattern, set with diamonds, length 9 cm, CHANTELOUP, Paris, circa 1960.Minaudière in yellow gold, platinum and embossed diamonds, with two compartments, fitted with mirror and tortoiseshell comb, 15.5x8x3.5cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, 1960s.Silver gilt minaudière set with a gold clasp set with diamonds (15x12x2 cm) and a black lacquered powder box decorated with floral motifs (8x6x1 cm), Van Cleef & Arpels, 1930s.Minaudière in yellow gold set with diamonds, equipped with powder box, mirror, matchbox and tortoiseshell comb, pill box and lipstick case (15×10.5×2 cm), Van Cleef & Arpels, 1940s.Gold minaudière with engraved design, set with diamonds, with two compartments (15×10 cm), equipped with powder box, lipstick holder, gold lighter and powder box with mirror, Van Cleef & Arpels, France.Minaudière in yellow gold, platinum and embossed diamonds, equipped with a mirror, 18×10 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, 1960s.Silver gilt minaudière in Persian style, lid in mother-of-pearl and coral, framed in black enamel spiral border, with jade and diamond inlays, black enamel with red accents, opening mirror, two compartments with lipstick holder, size 9x5x1 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels , France, circa 1927Minaudière with emerald and gold trim, equipped with a mirror built into the lid and includes lighter and powder box, size 15x10x2 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, France, circa 1930Minaudière set with diamonds and gold trim, equipped with a mirror built into the lid and includes lighter and powder box, size 12.5x10x2 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, France, circa 1935Evening bag with textured embossed finish, complete with powder box and lipstick holder, length 16.5 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, France, circa 1960Golden minaudière set with diamonds, equipped with a mirror built into the lid and includes lighter and powder box, 15 cm long, Van Cleef & Arpels, France, circa 1940Minaudière with diamonds and gold trim, equipped with a mirror built into the lid and includes lipstick holder, lighter and powder box, size 15.2 x 11.7 x 2.2 cm, Van Cleef & Arpels, France, circa 1935. Minaudières by Van Cleef & Arpels
