NINE LIVES

ithe, sensuous. and powerful, the panther has held some of the world’s greatest tastemakers in its thrall. In the early 20th century, big cats were already a pervasive presence in Western art and design, thanks to a growing fascination with African and Asian cultures, in which they had long been associated with royalty and power. Egyptomania gripped smart society after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, inciting a vogue for accessories featuring the panther-headed goddess Bastet and the feline-bodied Sphinx. The