Cartier & Myths

Exhibition at the Palazzo Altemps, Rome, 14 November 2025 – 15 March 2026

Since the mid-19th century, Cartier has drawn inspiration from the aesthetic and symbolic heritage of ancient Greece and Rome, reinterpreting it to transform age-old motifs into jewellery of a unique and modern character. Louis Cartier joined the archaeological revival movement launched by the great collectors and goldsmiths of the 19th century, thereby helping to foster a fruitful stylistic exchange between Rome and Paris: a marriage of the ancient and the modern.

This exhibition catalogue traces the history of this aesthetic reappropriation, placing Cartier at the forefront. At the same time, the book offers a broader study of the role of jewellery in ancient mythology. These two main sections are complemented by analyses of the coloured marble Roman sculptures from the Capitoline collections, as well as by depictions of classical beauty in cinema. Illustrated plates, scattered throughout the book, draw parallels between Cartier’s creations and objects from antiquity.