Europe was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the New World until the 1940s. It epitomized the elegance and avant-garde of culture, architecture and fashion.
During the 1930s and 1940s, the American aristocracy, which held the reins of power, money and good taste, and whose territory was the Upper East Side and 5th Avenue, commissioned works at most talented French interior decorators. Jean-Michel Franck and Emilio Terry decorated the private apartments and offices of the New York elite, inspiring scholars such as the famous American interior designer Dorothy Draper.
Breaking with the pure lines of Art Deco, these artists created a sophisticated universe mixing Spanish baroque from the 16th century, French classicism from the 18th century and surrealism of the time. Intertwined curlicues, arabesques and symbolic motifs have restored the glorious reputation of the decorative arts. Mirrors, bronze, marble and lacquer where the precious and shimmering materials used for this ornamental architecture.
S.T. Dupont created the limited edition New York 5th Avenue to pay homage to both the one and only city of New York and to these famous interior decorators, ambassadors of the French art of living. The Dupont brothers, like the other French artists, architects and designers, were naturally considered among these ambassadors, and Lucien Tissot-Dupont was invited by Louis Cartier to sell his precious travel cases in his 5th Avenue store.
Inspired by the ornamental and baroque style of this decorative trend, the lighters and pens of this limited edition are decorated with gilded grilles. The arabesques are a veiled reference both to the fancy metalwork of Raymond Sube and the world supported by Atlas standing at the foot of the Rockefeller Center.
The mole and chocolate lacquer echo the colors that adorn the apartments created by these interior designers and the sophisticated and discreet atmosphere that emanates from these houses.
Lighters and pens are numbered until 1929, referring to the date of Lucien Tissot-Dupont’s first trip to New York.
Gold plated, taupe and chocolate lacquer