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Design

ca.1770-1780 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Design showing a figure composition for an oval box top inscribed in pen and ink on the back of the design 'Barbet Noir avec un Collier' which means 'black spaniel with a collar' which refers to the dog on the front. This design was drawn by an anonymous designer in about 1770 to 1790 possibly for an elite client from the Court of Louis XV, King of France, from 1715 to 1774, or that of Louis XVI, King of France from 1774 until 1791, at Versailles, Paris.

This design is from an album of designs which date from about 1735-1820 and includes those for snuffboxes, scent holders, watches and watch cases, spoons, fans and fan mounts, small swords, and chatelaines (ornamental chains, pins, or clasps usually worn at a woman's waist, to which trinkets, keys, purses, or other articles are attached).

There is a close relationship between the contents of the album and known work by three Parisian goldsmiths, Jean Ducrollay (1710-1787), Pierre- François Drais (active 1761-1788), and Charles Ouizille (1744-1830) whose names appear on the first page of the album. This suggests that all the designs emanate from their workshops. Drais worked for the Court at Versailles as jeweller to both King Louis XV and Louis XVI. Ouizille worked in this capacity for Louis XVI. Most of the material dates from the period 1755-90.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pencil on paper
Brief description
Design form album of designs by Ouizille, French, eighteenth century.
NOT TO BE ISSUED WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE HEAD OF DESIGNS
Physical description
Figure composition for an oval box top.
Dimensions
  • Height: 14.2cm
  • Width: 21.3cm
Marks and inscriptions
'Barbet Noir avec un Collier' (Written in pan and ink on the back of the design. The inscription refers to the dog in the composition on the front.)
Translation
black spaniel with a collar
Credit line
Purchased with the assistance of Wartski Limited
Subjects depicted
Summary
Design showing a figure composition for an oval box top inscribed in pen and ink on the back of the design 'Barbet Noir avec un Collier' which means 'black spaniel with a collar' which refers to the dog on the front. This design was drawn by an anonymous designer in about 1770 to 1790 possibly for an elite client from the Court of Louis XV, King of France, from 1715 to 1774, or that of Louis XVI, King of France from 1774 until 1791, at Versailles, Paris.

This design is from an album of designs which date from about 1735-1820 and includes those for snuffboxes, scent holders, watches and watch cases, spoons, fans and fan mounts, small swords, and chatelaines (ornamental chains, pins, or clasps usually worn at a woman's waist, to which trinkets, keys, purses, or other articles are attached).

There is a close relationship between the contents of the album and known work by three Parisian goldsmiths, Jean Ducrollay (1710-1787), Pierre- François Drais (active 1761-1788), and Charles Ouizille (1744-1830) whose names appear on the first page of the album. This suggests that all the designs emanate from their workshops. Drais worked for the Court at Versailles as jeweller to both King Louis XV and Louis XVI. Ouizille worked in this capacity for Louis XVI. Most of the material dates from the period 1755-90.
Bibliographic reference
Heike Zech, 'Designs for Gold Boxes in the Album of the Workshop of Jean Ducrollay and his Successors', in Going for Gold: craftsmanship and collecting of gold boxes, ed. Tessa Murdoch and Heike Zech (Sussex academic press, 2014).
Collection
Accession number
E.897:263-1988

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Record createdJune 5, 2006
Record URL
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