Pair of French Ormolu Mounted Champlevé Cassolettes

A Magnificent, Exceptionally Rare, Museum Quality Pair of 18th Century English Ormolu Mounted, Hand-Carved and Hand-Polished Carrara Marble Cassolettes, By Matthew Boulton. These beautiful ormolu-mounted white marble cassolettes are by Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) and John Fothergill (1730- circa 1782) published in their Pattern Book No. 1 (page 171, figure t) and reproduced in Sir Nicholas Goodison's Ormolu: The Work of Matthew Boulton (New York, 1974, page 383, figure 161). Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) was a close friend of Boulton's and his patterns are thought to be the source for the medallions used on the plinths of these. Boulton's medallions of classical figures are almost identical to the cameos and intaglios made by Wedgwood and his partner James Tassie. Molds for these examples can be found in the Wedgwood Collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum. All derive from the same classical source of Renaissance gems. Many gem collections in Europe were widely published at this time and Boulton's library contained A. F. Gori's Museum Florentinum (1731-1766), in which gems from the Medici collection were engraved. The subjects of the medallions on this pair are: Pomona, a Roman goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards, and depicted carrying a basket on her head overloaded with fruit, tumbling to the ground, shown once on each vase. Hygeia, once on each, with an olive branch in her right hand, as seen in Tassie's reproduction of Valerio Belli's gem, and holding a snake in her left hand over an altar. This was produced by Wedgwood both as an intaglio and as a cameo. Venus & Cupid, only on one vase, showing Venus leaning against a column with a pike, and giving a helmet to Cupid. Aesclepius, Greek GD of medicine, only on one vase, depicted with a snake wrapped around his staff .The last medallion subject is either Diomedes or Perseus, shown once on each vase, depicted as a conquering hero. Boulton asked patrons to choose from a limited repertoire of motifs, and therefore each vase or pair of vases is adorned with their own combination. Boulton used nine medallion subjects on recorded vases of this type. PROVENANCE & COMPS Another pair of this model, with slightly less elaborate lids and finials, from a private collection are illustrated in Goodison's Matthew Boulton: ORMOLU, (page 379, figure 153). A further example is in a private New York collection. This pair, which was acquired from Hotspur in 1981, was formerly in the Collection of Marjorie Wiggin Prescott, sold Christie’s, New York, 31 January 1981, lot 76. The Prescott Collection was one of the most important English furniture collections of its time. The sale consisted mostly of late 17th and 18th century English furniture...

A superb pair of French 19th century Louis XVI st. white Carrara marble and ormolu cassolette urns. Each urn is raised by elegant topie shaped ormolu feet below the square white Carr...

An elegant and high quality pair of French 19th century Louis XVI st. Ormolu cassolette candlesticks. Each stunning candlestick is raised on a circular Ormolu base below stepped foli...

A charming and small scale pair of French 19th century Louis XVI st. Ormolu cassolette candlesticks. Each elegant candlestick is raised by a circular base with a finely chased laurel...