Small-scale reproduction of the yacht Varuna
Creation details
- Creation year 1906
- Stone Jasper
- Material Enamel
- Material Gold
- Material Silver
- Usage Other
- Dimensions 160 × 197 × 110 mm
Varuna—a small-scale reproduction of the yacht of the same name—is the oldest item in the Heritage Collection and a valuable testimony of the Maison’s early days. In particular, it illustrates Van Cleef & Arpels’ interest, as early as 1906, in producing objets d’art; an interest that continued to grow over time.
This reduced-scale model is striking for its realism and attention to detail. The yacht is made of yellow gold with a white and green enamel hull, two masts, and a central funnel of white enamel, as well as six lifeboats, also of white enamel, suspended along one side of the boat. The decking is of engraved silver and an enameled American flag flies at the stern. The boat navigates its way through rough sea made of jasper and the whole thing resides on an ebony base with a gold rim. In addition to its decorative purpose, this piece was also functional: it had an electric bell to enable its owner to summon the butler.
A “majestic” steamship
The Varuna belonged to Eugene Higgins, heir to a rich American family, and was described by the press as “one of the [world’s] most majestic steamships.” Built in 1896, this ship conveyed Higgins across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, where he spent his winters, setting sail from New York and stopping off in Bermuda, Madeira, Gibraltar and lastly, Marseille. In the summer he sailed back and forth along the Maine coast and the Newport area.
Reflecting an era in motion
This reproduction also illustrates the technological progress of the era and highlights the predilection of artists for depicting means of transport during the early years of the twentieth century, as travel by train, car, and transatlantic vessels became more widespread. Mobility and speed became sources of inspiration. Within the jewelry arts, for example, Van Cleef & Arpels commercializes an “automobile brooch” in 1908.
The reduced-scale model of the Varuna, one of the Maison’s earliest pieces, ushered in a new type of iconography, in keeping with the preoccupations of the period, that would grow in popularity over the following decades.
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