S.T. Dupont Ligne D — Normandy red Laque de Chine, With Box and Certificate
A vintage S.T. Dupont Ligne D in marbled Chinese lacquer with gold-plated trim, offered complete with its red box, outer box, literature
S.T. Dupont produced its first luxury lighter in 1941. Laque de Chine is the craft the maison is proudest of and the one it went to the trouble of certifying: a natural lacquer applied in many thin coats, each dried and polished back before the next, so the finish gains depth instead of sitting on the surface like paint. The certificate that accompanies this lighter states that the piece is finished in authentic Chinese lacquer, carries the workshop's seal, and is individually numbered. Most vintage lacquer Duponts lost that card decades ago; this one still has it.
The lacquer itself is the darker, mottled treatment, running from deep red-brown through to near-black with the cloudy movement that comes from the layering. Against the gold-plated cap rim, base and roller it reads warm rather than severe, and the pattern changes noticeably as the lighter turns in the light — no two faces are the same, which is the point of the technique. While a normal laque de chine exists out of two separate panels, the Normandy lighters have the lacquer bend around it's edges. It is a difficult technique to pull off and thus it is understood that the Normandy Ligne D lighters were only made on order by a customer.
The lighter is in mint, with the lacquer intact and no chips to the edges or corners, the place lacquer is most vulnerable. I have come across many chipped Normandy lighters. Finding one that is intact is truly difficult and I'm glad that I can offer on in this spectacular condition.
The set comprises the red S.T. Dupont box, the outer box, the red Centres service booklet, the printed literature and the numbered lacquer certificate. Only the warranty card is missing, possibly because it was ordered straight from the factory rather than purchased directly from the dealers inventory.