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Lot Essay
A MASTERPIECE OF FRENCH ROCOCO
Edme-Pierre Balzac (1705-1781) was one of the leading Parisian silversmiths of the Louis XV period and is particularly celebrated for his contributions to the Penthièvre-Orléans Service, the most important surviving French royal silver service.
The service is now believed to have been commissioned by Henry Janssen (1701-1766), a wealthy Englishman of Dutch descent who settled in Paris, before entering the possession of Louis-Charles de Bourbon, Comte d'Eu (1701-1775), a grandson of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan. It subsequently passed to his cousin and heir, Louis-Jean-Marie de Bourbon, Duc de Penthièvre (1725-1793), one of the wealthiest and most influential princes in eighteenth-century France.
The service then descended to Louise-Marie-Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre (1753-1821), wife of Louis-Philippe-Joseph d'Orléans ('Philippe Égalité'). During the French Revolution, much of the family silver was confiscated and melted, although a number of important pieces survived. Following partial restitution under the Directory and a final restoration in 1814, the service passed in 1821 to her son, Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, the future King Louis-Philippe of the French. Its subsequent ownership by the houses of Penthièvre and Orléans gave rise to the name by which it is known today, the Penthièvre-Orléans Service.
The Penthièvre-Orléans Service was the work of several of the greatest Parisian goldsmiths, including Thomas Germain, Claude II Ballin, Robert-Joseph Auguste, Antoine-Sébastien Durand, and Edme-Pierre Balzac, who contributed to the ensemble over a period of approximately forty years, from around 1728 to 1770. Balzac was commissioned to enlarge the service during the late 1750s and early 1760s, supplying fourteen major pieces, including tureens, wine-coolers and cruet stands.
Edme-Pierre Balzac (1705-after 1781) became 'privileged goldsmith of the Court' in 1739, the same year that he married Elisabeth-Philippine Penel, goddaughter of the Dowager Duchesse d'Orléans. Like many Parisian silversmiths in the mid 18th century, Balzac was beset by financial difficulties and went bankrupt in 1753. He nevertheless recovered professionally, in part through a series of technical innovations. In 1755, he obtained a patent for a lathe enabling the production of shaped flatware without soldered joints, and in 1766 he patented a machine for stamping cutlery.
His contributions to the Penthièvre-Orléans service rank among the most impressive. His stag tureen (Louvre Museum, Paris, OA 11363) combines a serpentine outline with realistic naturalist chasing and compares closely with the finest creations of François-Thomas Germain. Balzac adopted a similarly sculptural approach with the design of the present cruet stand, drawing inspiration from Pierre Germain dit le Romain's Éléments d'orfèvrerie contenant cent planches de modèles d'orfèvrerie religieuse et civile, published in 1748, and creating a composition animated by movement and enriched with finely chased ornament.
The Penthièvre-Orléans commission marked a decisive turning point in Balzac's career. Its success led to further prestigious international commissions, most notably his contribution of 112 dishes to the celebrated Orloff Service ordered by Empress Catherine the Great in 1770.
The Louvre Museum now holds a pair of cruets of the same design as the Penthièvre-Orléans service dated 1762 (RFML.OA.2025.2.1 and 2.2) acquired from Collection privée française, Artcurial Paris, 17 December 2024 lot 50.
Edme-Pierre Balzac (1705-1781) was one of the leading Parisian silversmiths of the Louis XV period and is particularly celebrated for his contributions to the Penthièvre-Orléans Service, the most important surviving French royal silver service.
The service is now believed to have been commissioned by Henry Janssen (1701-1766), a wealthy Englishman of Dutch descent who settled in Paris, before entering the possession of Louis-Charles de Bourbon, Comte d'Eu (1701-1775), a grandson of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan. It subsequently passed to his cousin and heir, Louis-Jean-Marie de Bourbon, Duc de Penthièvre (1725-1793), one of the wealthiest and most influential princes in eighteenth-century France.
The service then descended to Louise-Marie-Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre (1753-1821), wife of Louis-Philippe-Joseph d'Orléans ('Philippe Égalité'). During the French Revolution, much of the family silver was confiscated and melted, although a number of important pieces survived. Following partial restitution under the Directory and a final restoration in 1814, the service passed in 1821 to her son, Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, the future King Louis-Philippe of the French. Its subsequent ownership by the houses of Penthièvre and Orléans gave rise to the name by which it is known today, the Penthièvre-Orléans Service.
The Penthièvre-Orléans Service was the work of several of the greatest Parisian goldsmiths, including Thomas Germain, Claude II Ballin, Robert-Joseph Auguste, Antoine-Sébastien Durand, and Edme-Pierre Balzac, who contributed to the ensemble over a period of approximately forty years, from around 1728 to 1770. Balzac was commissioned to enlarge the service during the late 1750s and early 1760s, supplying fourteen major pieces, including tureens, wine-coolers and cruet stands.
Edme-Pierre Balzac (1705-after 1781) became 'privileged goldsmith of the Court' in 1739, the same year that he married Elisabeth-Philippine Penel, goddaughter of the Dowager Duchesse d'Orléans. Like many Parisian silversmiths in the mid 18th century, Balzac was beset by financial difficulties and went bankrupt in 1753. He nevertheless recovered professionally, in part through a series of technical innovations. In 1755, he obtained a patent for a lathe enabling the production of shaped flatware without soldered joints, and in 1766 he patented a machine for stamping cutlery.
His contributions to the Penthièvre-Orléans service rank among the most impressive. His stag tureen (Louvre Museum, Paris, OA 11363) combines a serpentine outline with realistic naturalist chasing and compares closely with the finest creations of François-Thomas Germain. Balzac adopted a similarly sculptural approach with the design of the present cruet stand, drawing inspiration from Pierre Germain dit le Romain's Éléments d'orfèvrerie contenant cent planches de modèles d'orfèvrerie religieuse et civile, published in 1748, and creating a composition animated by movement and enriched with finely chased ornament.
The Penthièvre-Orléans commission marked a decisive turning point in Balzac's career. Its success led to further prestigious international commissions, most notably his contribution of 112 dishes to the celebrated Orloff Service ordered by Empress Catherine the Great in 1770.
The Louvre Museum now holds a pair of cruets of the same design as the Penthièvre-Orléans service dated 1762 (RFML.OA.2025.2.1 and 2.2) acquired from Collection privée française, Artcurial Paris, 17 December 2024 lot 50.