The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Works of Juste-Aurèle Meissonier:  Silver Sculptural Project for a Large Centerpiece and Two Tureens Which Have Been Executed for His Lordship the Duke of Kingston

Works of Juste-Aurèle Meissonier: Silver Sculptural Project for a Large Centerpiece and Two Tureens Which Have Been Executed for His Lordship the Duke of Kingston

c. 1735–1737
(French, 1695–1772)
(French, 1695–1750)
Sheet: 42 x 66.8 cm (16 9/16 x 26 5/16 in.); Platemark: 38 x 64 cm (14 15/16 x 25 3/16 in.)
Catalogue raisonné: Fubring 118, 1st edition, 2nd printing with the date 1735 added
Location: not on view

Description

In addition to documenting an important commission, this etching endorses the designer’s stylish products by associating them with social status. Meissonnier’s name appears below the image on the left, and the large inscription identifies the illustrious patron, the Duke of Kingston, known well in Parisian society. Perhaps functioning similarly to a magazine advertisement today, the fashionable rococo-style scene invites viewers to imagine themselves as the owners of the luxurious tableware. Contrary to the inscription at the bottom of the sheet, the etching actually shows two views of only one of the tureens made for the Duke of Kingston (the tureen displayed nearby). The tureen not depicted features a crab instead of a lobster on the lid. The grand sculptural centerpiece was probably never produced.
  • Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 6, 2016).
    Inventive Impressions: 18th- and 19-Century French Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001).
  • {{cite web|title=Works of Juste-Aurèle Meissonier: Silver Sculptural Project for a Large Centerpiece and Two Tureens Which Have Been Executed for His Lordship the Duke of Kingston|url=false|author=Gabriel Huquier, Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier|year=c. 1735–1737|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2000.76