Design
ca.1780 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Design for a neo-classical egg cup by an anonymous designer in about 1780 possibly for an elite client of the Court of Louis XVI, King of France from 1774 until 1791, at Versailles, Paris. The drawings are from an album of designs, which date from about 1735-1820, that 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.
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 | Pen and ink on paper |
| Brief description | Design for a neo-classical egg cup possibly by Jean Ducrollay, mid C18th. |
| Physical description | Design for a neo-classical egg cup. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Design |
| Credit line | Purchased with the assistance of Wartski Limited |
| Production | For a gold-mounted moss-agate vase made as a perfume burner by Charles Ouizille in 1784, see Christie's Genva, 28 april, 1976, lot 182. Attribution note: Display text in the Silver gallery for M.11-2002 explains: 'This gold egg cup is a masterpiece of early French neo-classical design. It is in the Gout Grec (Greek taste) fashionale in Paris in the early 1760s. Shaped like an antique vase it looks as if it has been cut from stone and is heavily ornamented with swags of laurel. The egg cup has a detachable gold liner. What appears to be a working drawing for this egg cup is in an album in the V&A's collection containing designs associated with the Parisian worksehop of Pierre-François Drais, Charles Ouizille and Jean Ducrollay. The proportions and scale of this design are such that it could be easily for a large vase as it could an egg cup.' |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Design for a neo-classical egg cup by an anonymous designer in about 1780 possibly for an elite client of the Court of Louis XVI, King of France from 1774 until 1791, at Versailles, Paris. The drawings are from an album of designs, which date from about 1735-1820, that 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. |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.897:234-1988 |
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| Record created | June 5, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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