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Lot Essay
L'obsession du XVIIIème siècle de mener l'art de la sculpture sur ivoire à des exploits techniques jamais atteints auparavant incita de nombreux artistes, avides de prouesses, à passer de la création d'objets soi-disant utilitaires comme des bottes, des chopes ou des coupes à un travail de création purement artistique qui n'avait d'autre but que de montrer la virtuosité et l'habileté du sculpteur. Ces objets étaient souvent surmontés d'étoiles ou de sphères emboitées, comme sur la colonne ici présente, et étaient si délicats qu'ils étaient toujours exposés dans des vitrines ou sous des cloches en verre spécialement conçues pour les protéger (Laue, loc. cit., no. 16).
The obsession with pushing the art of ivory carving to greater and greater feats of technical brilliance prompted many sculptors to move from creating a supposedly utilitarian object such as a box, tankard or cup, to a creating work of art which had no purpose other than to show its creator's virtuosity as a carver. These were often surmounted with stars or interlocking spheres - as with the present lot - and could become so delicate that they were permanently displayed in glass cases designed to protect them (for an example of the latter see Laue, loc. cit., no. 16).
The obsession with pushing the art of ivory carving to greater and greater feats of technical brilliance prompted many sculptors to move from creating a supposedly utilitarian object such as a box, tankard or cup, to a creating work of art which had no purpose other than to show its creator's virtuosity as a carver. These were often surmounted with stars or interlocking spheres - as with the present lot - and could become so delicate that they were permanently displayed in glass cases designed to protect them (for an example of the latter see Laue, loc. cit., no. 16).