Lot Essay
Similar pots with heat-resistant handles existed in pre-Revolutionary France and they continued to be made into the 19th century. Examples appear in many of the grandest Empire services.
The precise function of Pots-à-crème has been much debated. Some sources say that they were probably used as individual casseroles, pöelons de table, for portions of ortollans, truffles or eggs, to be used as condiments for the main course. However recipies and menus from the 18th century suggest that they were made for individual cooked and flavoured cream-dishes which were served as entrements or side dishes.
It seems that a related type of small-cauldron-shaped pot (pot-à-bouchée) (see lot 164), often with three feet, a cover and a swing handle, was also intended for cooked cream-dishes. This type of pot was often made in the workshop of Jean-François Carron but was also much imitated in the 19th and early part of this century, (see A. Phillips and J. Sloane, Antiquity Revisited, English and French Silver-Gilt, from the Collection of Audrey Love, London, 1997).
The precise function of Pots-à-crème has been much debated. Some sources say that they were probably used as individual casseroles, pöelons de table, for portions of ortollans, truffles or eggs, to be used as condiments for the main course. However recipies and menus from the 18th century suggest that they were made for individual cooked and flavoured cream-dishes which were served as entrements or side dishes.
It seems that a related type of small-cauldron-shaped pot (pot-à-bouchée) (see lot 164), often with three feet, a cover and a swing handle, was also intended for cooked cream-dishes. This type of pot was often made in the workshop of Jean-François Carron but was also much imitated in the 19th and early part of this century, (see A. Phillips and J. Sloane, Antiquity Revisited, English and French Silver-Gilt, from the Collection of Audrey Love, London, 1997).