.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Jacques Neyron de Saint-Julien was a wealthy ribbon manufacturer and merchant from Saint-Étienne who was ennobled in 1768 after purchasing the office of Conseiller-Secrétaire du Roi attached to the Chancery of the Parlement of Lyon. He later served as Mayor of Saint-Étienne from 1778 to 1783, continuing a family tradition of civic service, as both his father and one of his uncles had held municipal office.
In 1772 he acquired the estate of the Duke of Béthune-Chârost for the considerable sum of 205,000 livres, thereby becoming owner of two châteaux at Roche-la-Molière, near Saint-Étienne. His purchase and transformation of the estate illustrate perfectly the transition from the ancien régime to the emerging industrial age. Rather than merely enjoying his newly acquired seigneury, Neyron modernised the medieval fortress, adding a monumental staircase and creating elegant reception rooms in the fashionable eighteenth-century style. At the same time, he exploited the rich coal deposits beneath the estate, opening mines directly under the château and its lands.
Combining the roles of landowner and entrepreneur, he integrated mining into his commercial activities and became a notable example of the enterprising provincial nobility of the late eighteenth century. During the French Revolution, despite having been a popular mayor and enjoying the support of local miners, he was twice arrested by the Jacobins. On both occasions, delegations of miners successfully petitioned for his release. Nevertheless, faced with increasing dangers, he emigrated to Switzerland in 1792. During his absence, the château was heavily damaged, partially demolished, and plundered by revolutionaries. Upon his death in 1811, his estate was divided between his sons. The elder, Claude-Aimé Neyron de Saint-Julien, inherited the damaged medieval château and founded the Neyron de Saint-Julien branch of the family, whose descendants spent nearly a century restoring the property. The younger son, Antoine-Louis Neyron, inherited the Roare estate and established the Neyron des Granges branch, from which the nineteenth-century Château de la Roare would later emerge.
The family's connection with Roche-la-Molière finally came to an end in 1951, when Pierre Neyron de Saint-Julien, after nearly 180 years of family ownership, sold the château to the municipality for a symbolic sum. The building subsequently served as a school before being converted into a cultural centre.
Antoine-Sébastien Durant was born into a prosperous bourgeois household shattered by the death of his mother when he was ten years old and the financial collapse of his father's business two years later. He was taken into the care of his uncle, the goldsmith Jean-Baptiste Tripart, to whom he was apprenticed.
Durant was admitted to the Paris guild as a master goldsmith on 30 March 1740 and remained active until at least 1785.
Although his fame has been somewhat eclipsed by that of the Germain dynasty, Durant was among the most esteemed Parisian goldsmiths of his generation. Evidence of his reputation is found in the inventory of the Comtesse du Barry, drawn up on 10 January 1791, which records a pair of gold girandoles by Durant among her possessions.
The surviving corpus of his work attests to a flourishing career and his talent as a sculptor-goldsmith showing a certain lightness and humour rarely found in silver. Such is the case for the mustard pot dated 1753-1755 shaped as a cherub pushing a barrel in a wheelbarrow (Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, Inv. 26884) and also the salt-cellars from the Penthièvre-Orléans service dated 1758-1759 showing a reclining cherub resting on a shell.
Approximately twenty recorded objects date from the period 1740-1750, twenty-eight from 1750-1760, and sixteen from 1760-1770. The latest known surviving work is a table bell executed circa 1769-1770. The death of his son in Rome in 1770 appears to have been a profound personal tragedy; however, hallmark records demonstrate that the workshop continued to maintain a substantial level of production. Deposits at the mark amounted to 103 marcs in 1768 and 225 marcs in 1771, a marc corresponding to approximately 245 grams.
Despite the comparatively small number of surviving works, Antoine-Sébastien Durant occupies an important place among the leading Parisian goldsmiths of the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. His works are distinguished by their refinement, technical accomplishment, and the prominence of the aristocratic and royal patrons who commissioned them.
This ewer and basin were made during his most creative period described as 'sulking putti' (MBP, Louvre, vol. 2. p. 158. The modelling of the putto is inspired from the work of Falconet and Boucher.
This ewer is ten years later than the example applied with the royal arms of Portugal dated 1752-1753 in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, illustrated in Les Grands Orfèvres de Louis XIII à Charles X, Collection Connaissance des Arts "Grands Artisans d'Autrefois", Hachette, 1965, p. 152-153. The Portuguese ewer is a richer version, to reflect the importance of its owner, particularly evident in the basin with its rim chased to simulate sea waves, whilst the ewer is further applied with large foliate scrolls.
In 1772 he acquired the estate of the Duke of Béthune-Chârost for the considerable sum of 205,000 livres, thereby becoming owner of two châteaux at Roche-la-Molière, near Saint-Étienne. His purchase and transformation of the estate illustrate perfectly the transition from the ancien régime to the emerging industrial age. Rather than merely enjoying his newly acquired seigneury, Neyron modernised the medieval fortress, adding a monumental staircase and creating elegant reception rooms in the fashionable eighteenth-century style. At the same time, he exploited the rich coal deposits beneath the estate, opening mines directly under the château and its lands.
Combining the roles of landowner and entrepreneur, he integrated mining into his commercial activities and became a notable example of the enterprising provincial nobility of the late eighteenth century. During the French Revolution, despite having been a popular mayor and enjoying the support of local miners, he was twice arrested by the Jacobins. On both occasions, delegations of miners successfully petitioned for his release. Nevertheless, faced with increasing dangers, he emigrated to Switzerland in 1792. During his absence, the château was heavily damaged, partially demolished, and plundered by revolutionaries. Upon his death in 1811, his estate was divided between his sons. The elder, Claude-Aimé Neyron de Saint-Julien, inherited the damaged medieval château and founded the Neyron de Saint-Julien branch of the family, whose descendants spent nearly a century restoring the property. The younger son, Antoine-Louis Neyron, inherited the Roare estate and established the Neyron des Granges branch, from which the nineteenth-century Château de la Roare would later emerge.
The family's connection with Roche-la-Molière finally came to an end in 1951, when Pierre Neyron de Saint-Julien, after nearly 180 years of family ownership, sold the château to the municipality for a symbolic sum. The building subsequently served as a school before being converted into a cultural centre.
Antoine-Sébastien Durant was born into a prosperous bourgeois household shattered by the death of his mother when he was ten years old and the financial collapse of his father's business two years later. He was taken into the care of his uncle, the goldsmith Jean-Baptiste Tripart, to whom he was apprenticed.
Durant was admitted to the Paris guild as a master goldsmith on 30 March 1740 and remained active until at least 1785.
Although his fame has been somewhat eclipsed by that of the Germain dynasty, Durant was among the most esteemed Parisian goldsmiths of his generation. Evidence of his reputation is found in the inventory of the Comtesse du Barry, drawn up on 10 January 1791, which records a pair of gold girandoles by Durant among her possessions.
The surviving corpus of his work attests to a flourishing career and his talent as a sculptor-goldsmith showing a certain lightness and humour rarely found in silver. Such is the case for the mustard pot dated 1753-1755 shaped as a cherub pushing a barrel in a wheelbarrow (Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, Inv. 26884) and also the salt-cellars from the Penthièvre-Orléans service dated 1758-1759 showing a reclining cherub resting on a shell.
Approximately twenty recorded objects date from the period 1740-1750, twenty-eight from 1750-1760, and sixteen from 1760-1770. The latest known surviving work is a table bell executed circa 1769-1770. The death of his son in Rome in 1770 appears to have been a profound personal tragedy; however, hallmark records demonstrate that the workshop continued to maintain a substantial level of production. Deposits at the mark amounted to 103 marcs in 1768 and 225 marcs in 1771, a marc corresponding to approximately 245 grams.
Despite the comparatively small number of surviving works, Antoine-Sébastien Durant occupies an important place among the leading Parisian goldsmiths of the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. His works are distinguished by their refinement, technical accomplishment, and the prominence of the aristocratic and royal patrons who commissioned them.
This ewer and basin were made during his most creative period described as 'sulking putti' (MBP, Louvre, vol. 2. p. 158. The modelling of the putto is inspired from the work of Falconet and Boucher.
This ewer is ten years later than the example applied with the royal arms of Portugal dated 1752-1753 in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, illustrated in Les Grands Orfèvres de Louis XIII à Charles X, Collection Connaissance des Arts "Grands Artisans d'Autrefois", Hachette, 1965, p. 152-153. The Portuguese ewer is a richer version, to reflect the importance of its owner, particularly evident in the basin with its rim chased to simulate sea waves, whilst the ewer is further applied with large foliate scrolls.