BY PIERRE-PHILIPPE THOMIRE, PARIS, CIRCA 1810

A bold symbol of wealth and power, the central section of this impressive gilt-bronze surtout-de-table was conceived circa 1810 by Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751–1843). The central surtout with impressive winged figures of Nike holding aloft a tazza were delivered to Maréchal Masséna, Prince d’Essling (1758-1817). Comprising twelve further elements in three types, it is a superb example of princely table-ornaments in the fashionable Empire style, many of which, possibly including the present example, were gifts of the Emperor himself.

Born into a family of ciseleurs, Thomire trained under the renowned bronzier Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813) and the ciseleur-doreur du roi Jean-Louis Prieur (d. circa 1785-1790), before opening his own workshop in 1776. Famed for his production of finely-chased gilt-bronze objéts-de-luxe, a large quantity of which were commissioned by the Royal household, Thomire frequently collaborated with marchands-merciers such as Simon-Philippe Poirier (c.1720-1785), and his successor, Dominique Daguerre (c.1740-1796), and regularly supplied furniture mounts to celebrated ébénistes such as Adam Weisweiler (maître in 1778) and Guillaume Beneman (maître in 1785). On the death of Jean-Claude Duplessis – the artistic director of the Sèvres porcelain manufactory – in 1783, Thomire assumed this role. Astute and lauded for the quality of his productions, Thomire was one of the few artisans to survive the Revolution. In 1804 he established a new business under the name Thomire, Duterme et Cie. and was appointed 'Ciseleur de l'Empereur' by Napoleon in 1809. In 1811 he would collaborate with the silversmith Odiot on the execution of the celebrated cradle for the King of Rome.

Table ornaments in precious materials had existed for centuries, but the extensive surtout-de-table with various matching components was conceived in this arrangement in the early 19^th century. This change was the result of the new fashion for dining à la russe. This new style of service, where each dish was brought to the table individually, provided an opportunity to adorn the table with an impressive centrepiece that could be purely decorative, as it no longer fulfilled a functional role.


The decorative vocabulary of the present pierced gallery by Thomire features in two designs held at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris (illustrated in H.Ottomeyer & P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen,, Munich, 1986, vol. I p. 388, fig. 5.16.15) and a number of comparable surtouts-de-table by Thomire exist including:

· The monumental example probably presented as a gift from Napoleon I to his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais, now in the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, New York (inv. 1991-31-1-a/ww).
· A surtout-de-table featuring comparable two-tier etageres is now in the Hermitage, St Petersburg (inv. E-8018.)
· A further three-tier etagere, with an identical tripod base to the present lot, which entered the Hermitage collection in 1922 (inv. E-827)
· A surtout-de-table incorporating two and three-tier etageres from 1825 can be found in the Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco (inv. 1965.I)
· A pair of circular surtouts-de-table, almost certainly en-suite with the present lot, were bequeathed by Baron Eduard von der Heydt to the Amsterdam Museum in 1962.

Three further centrepieces with Nike figures are known which all have provenances related to the Emperor:

· One was possibly given as a wedding present by Napoléon and Josephine to her niece, Stephanie de Beauharnais on her marriage to Charles, Grand Duke of Baden (sold, Sotheby's London, 13 December 1991, lot 290)
· The second, now in the Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, was originally from the collection of the comtes de Pourtalès (Ottomeyer & Pröschel, Ibid, 1986, vol. II, p. 383, fig. 5.16.1).
· The third centrepiece was supplied to Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples and later King of Spain (sold Christie’s, London, 4 July 1996, lot 233).

ANDRE MASSENA, DUC DE RIVOLI, PRINCE D'ESSLING, MARECHAL DE FRANCE

The impressive centrepiece of this surtout-de-table formed part of the collection of André Masséna, duc de Rivoli, prince d'Essling, maréchal de France, one of the leading French generals of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Masséna displayed a genius for manoeuvring his forces over difficult terrain and became one of Napoleon’s most trusted advisors during the Italian campaign of 1796-7. He won the battle of Rivoli on 14^th January 1797 and he played a key role in Napoleon’s victory at the battle of Marengo on 14^th June 1800 (Napoleon reputedly gave Masséna the nickname “l’Enfant chéri de la Victoire”). Masséna was made maréchal de France in 1804 and in January 1810 Napoleon rewarded his heroism in two important battles against the Austrians at Aspern-Essling on 21^st and 22^nd May and at Wagram on 5^th and 6^th July by bestowing the title of Prince d’Essling on him.

The present lot then passed by descent to Victor Masséna (1836-1910), 5th Prince of Essling and Duke of Rivoli until it was sold in his estate sale, Hôtel Drouot Paris, 15-16 March 1920, lot 146. It was purchased by Georges and René Kaleski, for the immense sum of 52, 250 FF (H. Lapauze (ed.),’Le Carnet d’un curieux’, La Renaissance de l'art Français et des industries de luxe, Paris, No. I, January 1920, p. 192).