ATTRIBUTED TO THOMIRE À PARIS

Details

A CHARLES X ORMOLU SURTOUT-DE-TABLE
Attributed to Thomire à Paris
The circular tray engraved with acanthus scrolls with bacchic-centred by a raised coat-of-arms of the Conde da Povoa, the pierced sides with a fruit and flower-filled gadrooned vase flanked by swans with scrolling foliate and palmette tails alternating with plinths with the Royal coat-of-arms of the House of Braganza and flanked by pan-pipe blowing putti with foliate scrolling tails, above a breakfront frieze with flowerhead-filled panels, on a later giltwood stand with square tapering legs carved with scrolling acanthus top and joined by a triangular stretcher centred by a ball finial, terminating in Greek-key block feet, restorations to the pierced gallery, the finial to central coat-of-arms lacking
28¾ in. (73 cm.) diam.; 35 in. (89 cm.) high

Provenance

The 1st Conde da Povoa (d. 1823).
Bought by the present owner in these Rooms, 2 May 1997, lot 163 (£7500).

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The arms are those of Teixeira quatering Sampaio, Amaraes and Guedes, as borne by Henrique Teixeira de Sampaio, 1st Conde da Povoa and Barão de Teixeira. The son of the 1st Duke of Palmella, he was born on 30 October 1774. He married first in 1804 Mariana Slack and subsequently Luiza Maria Jose Rita de Noronha. A distinguished statesman, he served as Minister of Finance during the turbulent times following Napoleon's defeat in 1815. The Conde da Povoa was a significant patron of Paul Storr during the 1820s and commissioned an important silver service engraved with the identical coat-of-arms and marine motifs from which several pieces were sold anonymously at Christie's New York, 11 April 1985, lots 263-269.

This surtout-de-table with its pierced scrolling patera-enriched frieze set between recumbent swans and flute-playing winged figures is directly inspired by a design of Pierre-Philippe Thomire (d. 1843), ciseleur-doreur du Roi et de la Reine in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris (H. Ottomeyer, P. Pröschel, et. al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, p. 388, fig. 5.16.15.).

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