Loading
Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot-à-oille)
Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier1735–38
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Designed by one of Louis XV’s official architects, this tureen exemplifies the French rococo style, an artistic movement celebrating naturalistic forms that developed in Paris during the early 1700s. In contrast to classical, controlled symmetry, rococo forms morph, twist, and spill into the space around them. Meissonnier embellished this tureen in a picturesque arrangement of vegetables and creatures, transforming a utilitarian object into a decadent display of wealth and abundance. This masterpiece comes from a set of two tureens commissioned by the English Duke of Kingston during an extended stay in Paris in the 1730s.
Show lessRead more
Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).
Learn more about this artwork.
Details
- Title: Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot-à-oille)
- Creator: Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (French, 1695–1750), Pierre-François Bonnestrenne (French), Henry Adnet (French, 1745)
- Date Created: 1735–38
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 36.9 x 38.4 x 31.8 cm (14 1/2 x 15 1/8 x 12 1/2 in.); Average: 35 x 38.4 x 31.8 cm (13 3/4 x 15 1/8 x 12 1/2 in.)
- Provenance: Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston [1711–1773], England, by descent to his wife, Elizabeth Chudleigh, Elizabeth Chudleigh, sometime Duchess of Kingston [1721–1788], England, Prince Alexander Bezborodko [1747–1799], Russia, Count Elie Bezborodko [1756–1815], Russia, Count Alexander Kushelev-Bezborodko [1800-1855], Russia, Alexander Alexandrovich Polovtsoff [1832-1909], Russia, by descent to his heirs, (Jacques Seligmann [1858-1923], Paris, France, 1909, sold to John Pierpont Morgan), John Pierpont Morgan [1837-1913], (Charles and Richard Comyns, London, England, 1925-1926, sold to anonymous buyer), (Peter Zervudachi [b. 1921], Galerie du Lac, Vevey, Switzerland, sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art), Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
- Type: Silver
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1977.182
- Medium: silver
- Inscriptions: [Maker’s mark of Pierre−François Bonnestrenne, beneath platter; inside tureen (two marks)], [Warden's mark for Paris, 1734−1735, beneath platter; inside tureen; inside cover], [Charge mark of Hubert Louvet, Paris, 1732-1738, on platter border; beneath platter; beneath tureen; inside cover; inside tureen (two marks)], [Discharge mark of Louis Robin mostly used for stamping small work, Paris 1738−1744, on platter border; beneath tureen], [Warden's mark for Paris, 1736−1737, on platter border], [Possibly British import mark, London, 1925, on platter border], [Possibly mark of the British firm Charles & Richard Comyns, on platter border], [Discharge of Louis Robin mostly used for stamping gold and silver between 1738 and 1744, beneath tureen; outside cover], [Maker’s mark of Henry-Guillaume Adnet, inside cover], [Two small undefined marks, inside cover], [Under the surface of the platter the engraved signature]: “FAIT-PAR-I-A-MEISSONIER-ARCHITECTTE”; [and the weight] “673=5"; “No. [v] I 50 £ b76Sol”; [and the numbers] “A nº 1”; “A nº2”, [On tureen lip]: "MEISSONIER", [On tureen lip]: “A nº 3”; “A nº2” [in order to place the tureen correctly on the stand], [Numbers engraved on the stand, the tureen, and the cover to show how the piece should be assembled]: “A nº 1” [on the base of the tureen; beneath the cover; on the platter], “A nº 2” [on the platter], “A nº 3” [on the exterior rim of the tureen], “A nº4”; “A nº 5” [outside the cover], “A nº 7” [on the border of the platter], [Two warden's marks for Paris, 1735-1736, beneath tureen]
- Fun Fact: The langoustine, pigeon, and vegetables were cast using real examples giving the silver copies lifelike detail and appearance.
- Department: Decorative Art and Design
- Culture: France, Paris
- Credit Line: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Collection: Decorative Arts
- Accession Number: 1977.182
Get the app
Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more
