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VERMEIL EWER AND BASIN, SILVERSMITH MARIE-JOSEPH-GABRIEL GEN…
See original version (French)
36
-
VERMEIL EWER AND BASIN, SILVERSMITH MARIE-JOSEPH-GABRIEL GEN…
See original version (French)
Estimate €3,000 - €5,000
Voluntary lot
Description
VERMEIL EWER AND BASIN, SILVERSMITH MARIE-JOSEPH-GABRIEL GENU, INSCRIPTION 1798, PARIS 1798-1809
The ewer on a pedestal with laurel leaf mouldings, the ovoid body applied to the lower part of a false cup decorated with lanceolate leaves, scrolls and foliage; in the upper part of a chased frieze of stylised palms, foliage, scrolls and flowers on an amati background. The scrolled handle is adorned with a ram's head and a swan with outstretched wings. The oval basin, resting on a frame with palm mouldings; engraved on the inner rim with stylised palms; with its stopper chased with lanceolate leaves.
Hallmarks: goldsmith; title; guarantee, later control (boar's head)
WEIGHT: 2 K 548 - 89.9 OZ
(Minor knocks and scratches from use)
A SILVER-GILT EWER AND ITS BASIN, SILVERSMITH MARIE-JOSEPH-GABRIEL GENU, PARIS 1798-1809
H. OF THE EWER : 34,5 CM - 13,5 IN.
H. OF THE BASIN: 7.5 CM - 2.9 IN.
LENGTH: 39 CM - 15.3 IN.
WIDTH: 24.3 CM - 9.5 IN.
-Sale Pescheteau-Badin Godeau Leroy, Paris, Drouot, 13 December 1996, lot 299
- Private collection
Marie-Joseph-Gabriel Genu was a renowned silversmith of the late 18th century and early Empire. He was awarded the title of master silversmith in 1788 and remained active until his death around 1811. He was a subcontractor and regular collaborator of Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843), appointed goldsmith to Napoleon Bonaparte, master tablemaker and cabinetmaker based in Paris. Far from being a mere executor, Genu was an essential collaborator, whose expertise contributed directly to the quality and prestige of his work.
The archives show that, even when the works are signed "Biennais", certain components such as tea services or Athenian elements are executed by Genu. This situation reveals an implicit hierarchy: Biennais designed, supervised and marketed, while Genu acted as a specialist in silversmithing.
Reference works
- Louvre, Athénienne de Napoléon Ier, 1801/1804, Martin-Guillaume Biennais, Marie-Joseph-Gabriel Genu, participation; garnished with a ewer of a similar model (OA 10424)
- Château Malmaison, Joséphine Bonaparte's bed table, signed Biennais, Md Ébéniste, au Singe Violet, rue Honoré, 511, It is as a table maker that the future goldsmith of the Empire signs his work here and not as a goldsmith. This is why, in addition to the title mark of 1797 (a boar's head in an oval), the vermeil objects making up the set bear the mark of the silversmith Marie-Joseph-Gabriel Genu, whose collaboration with Biennais lasted until the early years of the Empire.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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