Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot-à-oille)

1735–38

Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier

Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (French, 1695–1750)

Decorative Art and Design

Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot-à-oille), 1735–38. Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (French, 1695–1750), Pierre-François Bonnestrenne (French), Henry Adnet (French, 1745). Silver; overall: 36.9 x 38.4 x 31.8 cm (14 1/2 x 15 1/8 x 12 1/2 in.); average: 35 x 38.4 x 31.8 cm (13 3/4 x 15 1/8 x 12 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1977.182 Designed by one of Louis XV’s official architects, this tureen exemplifies the French rococo style, an artistic movement celebrating naturalistic forms that developed in Paris during the early 1700s. In contrast to classical, controlled symmetry, rococo forms morph, twist, and spill into the space around them. Meissonnier embellished this tureen in a picturesque arrangement of vegetables and creatures, transforming a utilitarian object into a decadent display of wealth and abundance. This masterpiece comes from a set of two tureens commissioned by the English Duke of Kingston during an extended stay in Paris in the 1730s. The langoustine, pigeon, and vegetables were cast using real examples giving the silver copies lifelike detail and appearance.

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Meissonnier, Juste Aurèle
Classification: Silver
Formatted Medium: silver
Medium: silver
Dimensions: Overall: 36.9 x 38.4 x 31.8 cm (14 1/2 x 15 1/8 x 12 1/2 in.); Average: 35 x 38.4 x 31.8 cm (13 3/4 x 15 1/8 x 12 1/2 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: [Maker’s mark of Pierre−François Bonnestrenne, beneath platter; inside tureen (two marks)] Inscription: [Warden's mark for Paris, 1734−1735, beneath platter; inside tureen; inside cover] Inscription: [Charge mark of Hubert Louvet, Paris, 1732-1738, on platter border; beneath platter; beneath tureen; inside cover; inside tureen (two marks)] Inscription: [Discharge mark of Louis Robin mostly used for stamping small work, Paris 1738−1744, on platter border; beneath tureen] Inscription: [Warden's mark for Paris, 1736−1737, on platter border] Inscription: [Possibly British import mark, London, 1925, on platter border] Inscription: [Possibly mark of the British firm Charles & Richard Comyns, on platter border] Inscription: [Discharge of Louis Robin mostly used for stamping gold and silver between 1738 and 1744, beneath tureen; outside cover] Inscription: [Maker’s mark of Henry-Guillaume Adnet, inside cover] Inscription: [Two small undefined marks, inside cover] Inscription: [Under the surface of the platter the engraved signature]: “FAIT-PAR-I-A-MEISSONIER-ARCHITECTTE”; [and the weight] “673=5"; “No. [v] I 50 £ b76Sol”; [and the numbers] “A nº 1”; “A nº2” Inscription: [On tureen lip]: "MEISSONIER" Inscription: [On tureen lip]: “A nº 3”; “A nº2” [in order to place the tureen correctly on the stand] Inscription: [Numbers engraved on the stand, the tureen, and the cover to show how the piece should be assembled]: “A nº 1” [on the base of the tureen; beneath the cover; on the platter], “A nº 2” [on the platter], “A nº 3” [on the exterior rim of the tureen], “A nº4”; “A nº 5” [outside the cover], “A nº 7” [on the border of the platter] Inscription: [Two warden's marks for Paris, 1735-1736, beneath tureen]
Departments: Decorative Art and Design
Accession Number: 1977.182
Credit Line: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
Exhibitions: Tanke och form i rokokon (18th Century: Thought and Form in the Rococo Age), Consuming Passions: The Art of Food and Drink, All That Glitters: Great Silver Vessels in Cleveland's Collection, Rococo: The Continuing Curve 1720-2008, Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings
Rights Statement: CC0
Museum Location: 216A French and German