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PAIRE DE SALIÈRES DOUBLES EN ARGENT D’ÉPOQUE LOUIS XV
PAR FRANÇOIS RIGAL, PARIS, 1729
De forme tombeau sur quatre pieds en enroulement, le bord inférieur ciselé de rocaille et coquilles, le plateau bordé d’oves et repoussé au centre de deux cuvettes intercalées de motifs Régence sur fond amati, gravées de chaque côté d’armoiries ducales dans un ordre de Malte, poinçons sur les fonds: charge, lettre-date (N) et maître-orfèvre; sur les pieds : décharge et contremarque de 1732-1738
L. 12.2 cm. (4 ¾ in.)
668 gr. (21 oz. 9 dwt.)
Les armoiries sont celles de la famille de l’Espinasse de Langeac, pour Étienne de L’Espinasse, marquis de Langeac (1727-1809).
Cette ancienne famille originaire du Forez est connue depuis le XIIe siècle avec Raoul et Delmas de L’Espinasse, chevaliers.
Étienne de L’Espinasse est le fils cadet, et en tant que tel chevalier non profès de l’ordre de Malte. Il fut admis aux honneurs de la Cour en 1771. Il sera colonel du régiment des Grenadiers Royaux de son nom, gouverneur de Peyrepertuse, commandant pour le roi dans la ville et citadelle de Pont-Saint-Esprit en 1767, et dans le Bas Languedoc, et enfin maréchal de camp des Armées du roi. Il sera fait chevalier de l'ordre royal et militaire de Saint Louis, le premier avril 1757 et commandeur de celui de Saint Lazare.
En 1756, il épousa à Paris Marie Magdeleine de Cusack ou Cuzaque (1725-1778) qui fut une figure en vue de la haute société parisienne, grande mécène et la maîtresse en titre de Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Saint-Florentin, duc de la Vrillière, et secrétaire d'État de la Maison du Roi.
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A PAIR OF LOUIS XV SILVER DOUBLE SALT-CELLARS
MARK OF FRANÇOIS RIGAL, PARIS, 1729
Shaped rectangular with waisted sides resting on four scroll feet, the apron chased with foliage and shell motifs, the upper part embossed with two circular receptacles and edged with an egg-and-dart border, engraved on either sides with a coat-of-arms under duke's coronet and within an Order of Malta, marked underneath: charge, date-letter (N) and maker; on scroll feet: decharge and countermark for 1732-1738
The arms belongs to the family of L’Espinasse de Langeac, Étienne de L’Espinasse, Marquis de Langeac (1727–1809).
Étienne de L’Espinasse was the younger son and, as such, was a non-professed Knight of the Order of Malta. He was admitted to the Honours of the Court in 1771. He became colonel of the Royal Grenadiers regiment, governor of Peyrepertuse, commander for the King in the town and citadel of Pont-Saint-Esprit in 1767, and later commander in Bas Languedoc. Finally, he attained the rank of Maréchal de camp in the King’s armies. He was made a Knight of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis on 1 April 1757 and became a commander of the Order of Saint Lazarus. In 1756, he married in Paris Marie Magdeleine de Cusack, also spelled Cuzaque (1725–1778), who was a prominent figure in Parisian high society, a great patron of the arts, and the official mistress of Louis Phélypeaux, Count of Saint-Florentin, Duke of La Vrillière, and Secretary of State for the King’s Household.
The salt cellar was an essential element at the table whether as a symbol of status or as a functional ornament. During the Renaissance, salt was an expensive condiment often presented in elaborately designed containers. By the 17th century, however, as salt became more widely available, these vessels evolved into simpler forms. The double salt cellar, used to separate salt from spices such as pepper, appears to have been a French invention. It was introduced to the dining table with the development of the "service à la française", a style of service characterised by the symmetrical, geometric arrangement of dishes. Within this setting, the salt cellar occupied a strategic position, serving not only as a visual point of reference during the succession of courses but also as a centrally placed object that could be shared by all the diners.
This pairs of salt cellars belong stylistically to the Régence tradition that emerged toward the end of the reign of Louis XIV and was codified by master goldsmiths such as Nicolas Delaunay and Nicolas Besnier. Here Rigal combines symmetry with the playful elegance of flowing curved lines and subtly rococo motifs enhanced by egg-and-dart borders.