Lot 184
184
France, Louis XV, Marriage of the Dauphin to Marie Antoinette 1770, gilt shell medallion by A Joly, 98mm., the Dauphin and Marie Antoinette holding hands, standing before a temple, beside them an altar on which two hearts burn, Hymen holding wreath and torch flying above, cherubs with harp, basket and cornucopia in clouds above, to the left the shields of the Dauphin and Marie Antoinette crowned and garlanded by putti, signed ADN JOLY INV on temple steps, LAUDENTUR BELLI PORTAE in exergue, the gold leaf worn on the Dauphin's shield and the crown above, otherwise in fresh condition, an extremely rare example of a decorative shell medallion, in a circular pressed black wood frame
France, Louis XV, Marriage of the Dauphin to Marie Antoinette 1770, gilt shell medallion by A Joly, 98mm., the Dauphin and Marie Antoinette holding hands, standing before a temple, beside them an altar on which two hearts burn, Hymen holding wreath and torch flying above, cherubs with harp, basket and cornucopia in clouds above, to the left the shields of the Dauphin and Marie Antoinette crowned and garlanded by putti, signed ADN JOLY INV on temple steps, LAUDENTUR BELLI PORTAE in exergue, the gold leaf worn on the Dauphin's shield and the crown above, otherwise in fresh condition, an extremely rare example of a decorative shell medallion, in a circular pressed black wood frame

Details
France, Louis XV, Marriage of the Dauphin to Marie Antoinette 1770, gilt shell medallion by A Joly, 98mm., the Dauphin and Marie Antoinette holding hands, standing before a temple, beside them an altar on which two hearts burn, Hymen holding wreath and torch flying above, cherubs with harp, basket and cornucopia in clouds above, to the left the shields of the Dauphin and Marie Antoinette crowned and garlanded by putti, signed ADN JOLY INV on temple steps, LAUDENTUR BELLI PORTAE in exergue, the gold leaf worn on the Dauphin's shield and the crown above, otherwise in fresh condition, an extremely rare example of a decorative shell medallion, in a circular pressed black wood frame

Lot Essay

The Dauphin married Marie Antionette, daughter of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1770. Four years later he was crowned Louis XVI and, with precious little skill in the art of government, presided over the last years of the tottering ancien régime. In 1793 the newly formed Republic sent 'citizen Capet' and his wife to the guillotine.
During the 18th century the French court dominated Europe in terms of taste and fashion, and here the decorative arts reached a high point. The use of expensive materials such as exotic woods and shells for the decoration of furniture and luxury items became de rigueur. Turtle shell, a natural plastic which could be moulded when heated, was much used by cabinet makers, and was greatly popularised by Boulle, whose designs and techniques were widely imitated though never surpassed.
Benezit lists one André Joly, born 1706, painter to the king of Poland, who exhibited at the Salon de la Correspondance in 1780 and 1781.