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Lot Essay
Executed in precious hardstone and with extremely delicate ormolu mounts by Rome’s finest goldsmith, these cups have long been admired for their rarity and have enhanced two of the most famous collections in the history of European art.
THE PROVENANCE
The upper sections of these cups were most probably in the legendary collection of Pierre-Paul-Louis Randon de Boisset and sold as lot 472 in the sale after his death held 27 February – 25 March 1777. The introduction of the catalogue noted that Boisset had ‘rapporté d’Italie les marbres les plus rares’ and in a section of the sale dedicated to his precious stone collection lot 472 is described thus: ‘Deux jolis vases, forme de coquetier ; leur pied pris dans la masse, garnis de très légeres anses à deux serpents entrelacés, de petits tors, & plinthe de bronze doré en or mat avec double plinthe de même jaspe ; hauteur 3 pouces 4 lignes.’ This description, of a jasper ‘egg-cup’, delicate intertwined serpent handles, and a plinth of gilt-bronze above a double base of a stone of the same type matches the present cups perfectly.
Randon de Boisset became a fermier-général in 1757 and soon after purchased the role of Receveur général des finances de la généralité de Lyon, an extremely profitable position which gave him control of the collection of tax in the area of Lyon. Exceptional among the fermiers- généraux for his honest nature, Randon de Boisset was subject to popular praise in his lifetime and indeed the introduction to his sale in 1777, in which these cups were offered, reads like a panegyric, not least with regard to the excellence of his taste. A sketch by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin currently preserved in the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Lyon illustrates the Galerie de Mr. Randon de Boisset (inv. 5272a). The sketch depicts a large room of classical design filled with furniture, vases, statues and hung ‘academy-style’ with paintings. These cups along with several other items in the sale were acquired by ‘Aubert Sculpteur’, the sculpteur-doreur du roi Daniel Aubert and subsequently sold in his sale, 5 October 1797. They were then sold from the collection of the Baron Roger in 1841 where they were again described without their stands implying that the two elements had not yet been united.
What was said of Randon de Boisset ‘rien ne lui étranger. Il semblait que tous les goûts à la fois fussent entrés dans son âme’ - might also be said of almost any member of the Rothschild family whose collection the cups most likely entered at end of the nineteenth century. All five branches of the family were renowned and voracious collectors, engaging in all aspects of the fine and decorative arts and becoming creators of their own definitive taste the Goût Rothschild. The cups were in the collection of Baronne Edouard de Rothschild at the rue Saint-Florentin, one of Paris’s most celebrated interiors, in 1903 and may have entered the family collection through her father or grandfather-in-law Alphonse (1827-1905) or James de Rothschild (1792-1868). With their knowledge and enthusiasm for 18th century decorative arts it is possible that it was the Rothschilds who united the two elements of the cups.
THE DESIGN
In their quality and design it is possible to attribute both the cups and their stands to the great goldsmith Luigi Valadier. A supplier to the nobles and royalty of Europe, and Rome’s foremost decorative artist, the resolute neoclassicism and architectural aesthetic promoted by Valadier permeates both elements of the present lot. The generous use of precious stones- jasper, bloodstone, green porphyry and rosso antico- recalls the interior decoration of the great edifices of ancient imperial Rome, a key source of material in Valadier’s oeuvre. The cups and their stands also relate precisely to designs executed by Giuseppe Valadier, Luigi’s son and colleague, currently held in the Museo Napoleonico in Rome. Envisioned to recreate the cities of antiquity in miniature, Luigi produced ambitious designs for surtouts de table, one example made for the Baron de Breteuil and currently preserved in the State Hermitage, St. Petersburg. The snake handles are produced on at least two of the designs (MN8650, MN8656) and the square base with rams’ heads united by vine garlands is similarly illustrated in these designs (MN8628). Valadier’s design for the snake handles clearly made an impact on French makers, as demonstrated by a pair of rock crystal cups from Marie-Antoinette’s collection with similar entwined snake handles, currently preserved in the Louvre (OA 14). The propagation of Valadier’s designs across Europe can be seen by their presence in not only the great collections of Italy and France but also in the Russian Imperial Collections. The antico rosso base of these cups is identical to two bases for bronze statues currently preserved in the State Hermitage in Russia (inv. 1191-IV, 1192-IV). The catalogue of Randon de Boisset’s sale contains a number of cups and vases with related designs to these, often mounted with gilt-bronze handles and consisting of a variety of different marbles of various shapes. Lot 476 for example is an oval cup of jasper mounted with gilt-bronze handles set with turquoise; the catalogue also mentions that ‘Randon de Boisset a acquis cette belle coupe à Rome’. Randon de Boisset was known to have visited Italy on two occasions and it is possible that he bought items such as these cups directly from Valadier.
That the leading tastemakers of the 19th century should unite these exceptional cups from one of the 18th century’s most celebrated collections to a contemporary base by the same maker is a wonderful testament to the longstanding importance of provenance and craftsmanship.
Executed in precious hardstone and with extremely delicate ormolu mounts by Rome’s finest goldsmith, these cups have long been admired for their rarity and have enhanced two of the most famous collections in the history of European art.
THE PROVENANCE
The upper sections of these cups were most probably in the legendary collection of Pierre-Paul-Louis Randon de Boisset and sold as lot 472 in the sale after his death held 27 February – 25 March 1777. The introduction of the catalogue noted that Boisset had ‘rapporté d’Italie les marbres les plus rares’ and in a section of the sale dedicated to his precious stone collection lot 472 is described thus: ‘Deux jolis vases, forme de coquetier ; leur pied pris dans la masse, garnis de très légeres anses à deux serpents entrelacés, de petits tors, & plinthe de bronze doré en or mat avec double plinthe de même jaspe ; hauteur 3 pouces 4 lignes.’ This description, of a jasper ‘egg-cup’, delicate intertwined serpent handles, and a plinth of gilt-bronze above a double base of a stone of the same type matches the present cups perfectly.
Randon de Boisset became a fermier-général in 1757 and soon after purchased the role of Receveur général des finances de la généralité de Lyon, an extremely profitable position which gave him control of the collection of tax in the area of Lyon. Exceptional among the fermiers- généraux for his honest nature, Randon de Boisset was subject to popular praise in his lifetime and indeed the introduction to his sale in 1777, in which these cups were offered, reads like a panegyric, not least with regard to the excellence of his taste. A sketch by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin currently preserved in the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Lyon illustrates the Galerie de Mr. Randon de Boisset (inv. 5272a). The sketch depicts a large room of classical design filled with furniture, vases, statues and hung ‘academy-style’ with paintings. These cups along with several other items in the sale were acquired by ‘Aubert Sculpteur’, the sculpteur-doreur du roi Daniel Aubert and subsequently sold in his sale, 5 October 1797. They were then sold from the collection of the Baron Roger in 1841 where they were again described without their stands implying that the two elements had not yet been united.
What was said of Randon de Boisset ‘rien ne lui étranger. Il semblait que tous les goûts à la fois fussent entrés dans son âme’ - might also be said of almost any member of the Rothschild family whose collection the cups most likely entered at end of the nineteenth century. All five branches of the family were renowned and voracious collectors, engaging in all aspects of the fine and decorative arts and becoming creators of their own definitive taste the Goût Rothschild. The cups were in the collection of Baronne Edouard de Rothschild at the rue Saint-Florentin, one of Paris’s most celebrated interiors, in 1903 and may have entered the family collection through her father or grandfather-in-law Alphonse (1827-1905) or James de Rothschild (1792-1868). With their knowledge and enthusiasm for 18th century decorative arts it is possible that it was the Rothschilds who united the two elements of the cups.
THE DESIGN
In their quality and design it is possible to attribute both the cups and their stands to the great goldsmith Luigi Valadier. A supplier to the nobles and royalty of Europe, and Rome’s foremost decorative artist, the resolute neoclassicism and architectural aesthetic promoted by Valadier permeates both elements of the present lot. The generous use of precious stones- jasper, bloodstone, green porphyry and rosso antico- recalls the interior decoration of the great edifices of ancient imperial Rome, a key source of material in Valadier’s oeuvre. The cups and their stands also relate precisely to designs executed by Giuseppe Valadier, Luigi’s son and colleague, currently held in the Museo Napoleonico in Rome. Envisioned to recreate the cities of antiquity in miniature, Luigi produced ambitious designs for surtouts de table, one example made for the Baron de Breteuil and currently preserved in the State Hermitage, St. Petersburg. The snake handles are produced on at least two of the designs (MN8650, MN8656) and the square base with rams’ heads united by vine garlands is similarly illustrated in these designs (MN8628). Valadier’s design for the snake handles clearly made an impact on French makers, as demonstrated by a pair of rock crystal cups from Marie-Antoinette’s collection with similar entwined snake handles, currently preserved in the Louvre (OA 14). The propagation of Valadier’s designs across Europe can be seen by their presence in not only the great collections of Italy and France but also in the Russian Imperial Collections. The antico rosso base of these cups is identical to two bases for bronze statues currently preserved in the State Hermitage in Russia (inv. 1191-IV, 1192-IV). The catalogue of Randon de Boisset’s sale contains a number of cups and vases with related designs to these, often mounted with gilt-bronze handles and consisting of a variety of different marbles of various shapes. Lot 476 for example is an oval cup of jasper mounted with gilt-bronze handles set with turquoise; the catalogue also mentions that ‘Randon de Boisset a acquis cette belle coupe à Rome’. Randon de Boisset was known to have visited Italy on two occasions and it is possible that he bought items such as these cups directly from Valadier.
That the leading tastemakers of the 19th century should unite these exceptional cups from one of the 18th century’s most celebrated collections to a contemporary base by the same maker is a wonderful testament to the longstanding importance of provenance and craftsmanship.