MAKER'S MARK OF THE SCHEGGI BROTHERS, FLORENCE, CIRCA 1825
細節
A PAIR OF ITALIAN SILVER-GILT DOUBLE SALT-CELLARS
Maker's mark of the Scheggi Brothers, Florence, circa 1825
Each on an oblong octagonal base applied with a coat-of-arms against an ermine mantling and supporting two circular salt holders on three swan feet, surmounted by a classical female figure holding a wreath above her head, with removable wells, marked on bases and frames
8 3/8in. (21.3cm.) high; 68oz. (2117gr.) (2)
Maker's mark of the Scheggi Brothers, Florence, circa 1825
Each on an oblong octagonal base applied with a coat-of-arms against an ermine mantling and supporting two circular salt holders on three swan feet, surmounted by a classical female figure holding a wreath above her head, with removable wells, marked on bases and frames
8 3/8in. (21.3cm.) high; 68oz. (2117gr.) (2)
來源
Prince Camillo Borghese and Pauline Bonaparte, sister of Emperor Napoleon, married on November 6, 1803
The Borghese Service, comprising over 500 pieces of mostly French silver-gilt, was made for Prince Camillo Borghese, who married Pauline Bonaparte in 1803. Pauline, born in Corsica in 1780, was the second of Napoleon's sisters and considered to be the most beautiful. While it has traditionally been considered a wedding present, the service bears inscripitions which suggest that it was made after 1805, when Napoleon became King of Italy. Around this date, Pauline Borghese separated from the Prince, who lived in Florence and Rome. The majority of the service was made by Biennais in Paris, but additions to it were commissioned both in Florence and Rome. The present salt cellars could either have been ordered by the Prince or by Pauline Borghese after she rejoined her husband in Florence shortly before her death in 1825.
A pair of identical salt cellars from the Borghese Service by Biennais were sold at Christie's Geneva, May 10, 1988, lot 107. The design of these salt cellars is based on a drawing by Charles Percier, Napoleon's Imperial architect. The figural handles, swan supports, and base design all derive from Percier's design for an oil-and-vinegar frame (illustrated in Armand Guérinet, ed., Recueil de dessins d'orfévrerie du premier Empire, par Biennais, orfévre de Napoléon Ier et de la Couronne, Paris, 1911, pl. 45).
The Scheggis were an important family of silversmiths in Florence, making commissions for Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany, and publishing designs in the Magazzino di mobilia. The brothers Luigi and Vincenzo and the latter's sons Angelo and Ferdinando all used the mark found on the present salt cellars around 1825.
The Borghese Service, comprising over 500 pieces of mostly French silver-gilt, was made for Prince Camillo Borghese, who married Pauline Bonaparte in 1803. Pauline, born in Corsica in 1780, was the second of Napoleon's sisters and considered to be the most beautiful. While it has traditionally been considered a wedding present, the service bears inscripitions which suggest that it was made after 1805, when Napoleon became King of Italy. Around this date, Pauline Borghese separated from the Prince, who lived in Florence and Rome. The majority of the service was made by Biennais in Paris, but additions to it were commissioned both in Florence and Rome. The present salt cellars could either have been ordered by the Prince or by Pauline Borghese after she rejoined her husband in Florence shortly before her death in 1825.
A pair of identical salt cellars from the Borghese Service by Biennais were sold at Christie's Geneva, May 10, 1988, lot 107. The design of these salt cellars is based on a drawing by Charles Percier, Napoleon's Imperial architect. The figural handles, swan supports, and base design all derive from Percier's design for an oil-and-vinegar frame (illustrated in Armand Guérinet, ed., Recueil de dessins d'orfévrerie du premier Empire, par Biennais, orfévre de Napoléon Ier et de la Couronne, Paris, 1911, pl. 45).
The Scheggis were an important family of silversmiths in Florence, making commissions for Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany, and publishing designs in the Magazzino di mobilia. The brothers Luigi and Vincenzo and the latter's sons Angelo and Ferdinando all used the mark found on the present salt cellars around 1825.