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Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot-à-oille couvert)

1735–38

Part of a set. See all set records

Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier

(French, 1695-1750)

Pierre-François Bonnestrenne

(French)

made by

Henry Adnet

(French, 1745)

made by

France, 18th century

Silver

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.)

Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1977.182

Location

216A French and German

Fun Fact

The crayfish, pigeon, and vegetables were cast in silver from real examples giving them lifelike detail and appearance.

Description

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.

Video

Artist biography

Pierre-François Bonnestrenne

Master 1714

Henry Adnet

Master 1712

Inscriptions

Inscription

[Maker’s mark of Pierre−François Bonnestrenne, beneath platter; inside tureen (two marks)]

Inscription

[Warden's mark for Paris, 1734−1735, beneath platter; inside tureen; inside cover]

Inscription

[Charge mark of Hubert Louvet, Paris, 1732-1738, on platter border; beneath platter; beneath tureen; inside cover; inside tureen (two marks)]

Inscription

[Discharge mark of Louis Robin mostly used for stamping small work, Paris 1738−1744, on platter border; beneath tureen]

Inscription

[Warden's mark for Paris, 1736−1737, on platter border]

Inscription

[Possibly British import mark, London, 1925, on platter border]

Inscription

[Possibly mark of the British firm Charles & Richard Comyns, on platter border]

Inscription

[Discharge of Louis Robin mostly used for stamping gold and silver between 1738 and 1744, beneath tureen; outside cover]

Inscription

[Maker’s mark of Henry-Guillaume Adnet, inside cover]

Inscription

[Two small undefined marks, inside cover]

Inscription

[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”

Inscription

[On tureen lip]: "MEISSONIER"

Inscription

[On tureen lip]: “A nº 3”; “A nº2” [in order to place the tureen correctly on the stand]

Inscription

[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]

Inscription

[Two warden's marks for Paris, 1735-1736, beneath tureen]

Provenance

Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston, 1740-1773; Elizabeth Chudleigh, sometime Duchess of Kingston, 1773-1788; Prince Alexander Bezborodko, 1788-1799 (?); Count Elie Bezborodko, 1799-1815 (?); Count Alexander Kushelev-Bezborodko, 1815-1855 (?); A. A. Polovtsoff; his heirs, sold Paris, 1909; (Jacques Seligmann); J. P. Morgan, 1909-?; (Charles and Richard Comyns, London, 1925-1926); anonymous owner(s) until 1977; (Peter Zervudachi, Galerie du Lac, Vevey, Switzerland).

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 177 archive.org

Franklin, David, and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with, New York, NY: Scala Publishers, 2012. Reproduced & Discussed: Pgs. 214-215

Bidwell, Frederick E., and Leslie Cade. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with New York, NY: Scala Arts Publishers, 2014. Reproduced & Discussed: 135

Schroder, Timothy. "Rococo Silver." In Scrolls of Fantasy: The Rococo and Ceramics in England, C. 1735-C. 1775. Charles Dawson, ed., 7-26. London: English Ceramic Circle, 2015. Reproduced: p. 9, fig. 5

Manners, Errol. "The Rococo Porcelain of Europe and its influence on British Ceramics." In Scrolls of Fantasy: The Rococo and Ceramics in England, C. 1735-C. 1775. Charles Dawson, ed., 27-38. London: English Ceramic Circle, 2015. Reproduced: P. 28, fig. 4

Exhibition history

Consuming Passions: The Art of Food and Drink. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 26-October 9, 1983).

All That Glitters: Great Silver Vessels in Cleveland's Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 23, 1994-January 8, 1995).

Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot-à-oille couvert)|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1977.182|author=Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier|year=1735–38|access-date=12 November 2019|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot-à-oille couvert)

Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot-à-oille couvert)

Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier

Pierre-François Bonnestrenne

Henry Adnet

Location

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Pierre-François Bonnestrenne

Henry Adnet

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