Napoleonic Silverplated Tray by Christofle circa 1850

Our amazing silver-gilt and gilt-metal hunting cup with its original presentation case was designed by Jean-Francois Deniere for Baron Johan-George Schick...

Our gold snuff box is distinguished by its exceptional portrait of Emperor Napoleon I (1769-1821) by the revered miniature painter, Jean-Baptiste Isabey (1767–1855), signed and dated 1807. Isabey portrays the emperor in the green uniform of the chasseurs a cheval with red sash and silver breast-star of the Imperial French Order of the Legion of Honour. Pinned to his left lapel are the badges of the Imperial French Order of the Legion of Honour and the badge of the Royal Italian Order of the Iron Crown of Lombardy. The portrait is bordered by blue enamel and an outer border of rosettes and leaves. 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 by 5/8 inches.  Weight:  135 g, 4.76 oz, 4.34 troy oz. Hallmarks on the underside of this German-made box include an assay mark, a lion rampant and maker's mark which is heavily worn. Born in Nancy, France, Isabey arrived in Paris in 1785 to study with Jacques-Louis David. His earliest clients included the family of Eugène Rose de Beauharnais...

Our pair of elegant silver-gilt ewers are attributed to the Austrian maker, Johann Georg Hann of Vienna, circa 1780-1800. Heights: 17 7/8 and 22 1/2 in; 45 a...

Our important parcel-gilt and patinated silver and glass-mounted vase and matching oil lamp were designed by Paul Legrand (1840-1910) and crafted by the silversmith, Charles Glachant, for Boucheron of Paris, circa 1878-1880. 21 in tall and 16.5 in wide (53.4 by 41.9 cm). 28.56 lbs, 457 oz, 14,210 g. Provenance: presented to or purchased by Jean-Baptiste Pezon (1827-1897); acquired by a European private collector, perhaps on the death of Jean-Baptiste Pezon in 1897, by descent; acquired by YM Antiques, 2017. This double walled vase has an amphora form, with body and foot with silver, gilt and patinated and stylized flowers, anthemions and sprays of cherries against an etched and matted ground pierced to reveal a gilt inner wall. The upper body is detachable via a slip-lock, and mounted on both sides with arched panels formed of hexagonal beveled glass tiles. One glass panel applied with bacchic infants taunting a rearing goat and the other side with infants feeding grapes to a lioness under a looming bust of a satyr. The patinated and gilt upswung loop bifurcated handles are mounted with fully modeled figures of Pan bearing a syrinx and thyrsus and a draped maenad playing two flutes, both above roaring lion heads, the rim inset with a slip-lock detachable gilt bowl etched with masks of various representations of Bacchus spaced by ribbons and trophies and with scrolling fruiting vines. The base of interior with detachable base metal drip pan to accommodate the removable oil lamp designed to illuminate the glass tiles from within. The lamp is raised on four hoof feet, the upturned ends cast underneath with masks and with detachable cover mounted with two infant satyrs and flanked by gilt loop handles. The bacchic themed design featuring cartouches depicting infants taunting a goat and lion, plus prominent lion masks at the handles, certainly appealed to Boucheron's customer, Jean-Baptiste Pezon (1827-1897), who is believed to have commissioned the piece. Pezon was the celebrated lion tamer and headliner of the Grande Menagerie whose profession brought him great fame and fortune in Paris. Born a shepherd boy in Lozere, he is said to have left his home at the age of seventeen in the company of a wolf he had captured and trained years earlier. He headed to Paris and by the age of twenty-one purchased his first lion who he named Brutus. The animal is said to have inspired the Lion of Belfort, the monumental red standstone sculpture by Frederic Bartholdi erected in Belfort in 1880. Toulouse-Lautrec was among his admirers and friends, visiting Pezon's Great Lozerian Menagerie to sketch animals. A large bronze sculpture of Pezon atop a female lion adorns the Pezon family tomb in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, as seen in our image here. The vase and detachable bowl are marked on the underside with the silversmith's mark of Charles Glachant. The underside and upper rim of the lower body is engraved "Fic Boucheron Paris". The lamp is marked on underside and flange of cover for Glachant. Boucheron archives indicate the vase was inspired by the amphora vases created by the Greek potter, Nikosthenes, 550-510 BC. The Nikosthenic amphora vases are a form of Attic vase recognized for their angular amphora form with broad flat handles. Potted of bright orange-red clay, they were decorated with plant and animal motifs within distinct friezes, with the most significant defining feature being the black figure painting, often highlighted with white accents. In this vase Legrand re-imagines the striking contrast of the black figures against a warm ground through the use of patina and gilding. His inventive use of piercing and double-wall construction create additional levels of texture and depth throughout the body. The same combination of ornamentation was employed in a ewer designed by Legrand in 1880 in the Islamic taste. (See lot 77 of Christie's sale in New York on October 22, 2009.) Edmé Bouchardon (1698-1762), royal sculptor to Louis XV, may have provided Legrand with inspiration for the vase's iconography. The panel featuring bacchic infants taunting a rearing goat is very similar to a bas relief representation of Winter designed by Bouchardon for the Fontaine des Quarte-Saisons on rue de Grenelle, Paris. Bouchardon debuted his plaster model for the bas relief in 1741, and the fountain was completed in 1745. The Boucheron firm, founded by the celebrated jeweler, Frédéric Boucheron...

Our George IV period Sheffield plate vases (circa 1820-1830) measure 25 in (63.5 cm) tall and feature stepped bases with applied grapevine borders with foliage below a wide band of g...

Our shaving mirror in the neoclassical style was crafted in Italy from carved marble, circa 1810. The only all-marble standing mirror of its kind we have seen come to market in the p...

Pair of Christofle ( Atrib.) Silverplated woven baskets, each one of circular form with hundreds of woven silverplated hand-woven strands. Unmarked. Each basket has a 12" diameter x...

A beautiful large silver-plated tray, from the French brand Christofle. The name of the model is Malmaison. The tray is in incredibly beautiful condition, it looks as if it has hardl...

A fabulous vintage silver plated tray by the creme de la creme of makers, Christofle of Paris. Named after the Château de la Malmaison, ...

With a dedication to perfection and quality, Christofle flatware creations unite craftsmanship and modern technique, resulting in flatware to be handed down through generations. R...

With a dedication to perfection and quality, Christofle flatware creations unite craftsmanship and modern technique, resulting in flatware to be handed down through generations. Monumental Baguette / Fidelio by Christofle...

With a dedication to perfection and quality, Christofle flatware creations unite craftsmanship and modern technique, resulting in flatware to be ha...