Design for a silver candle branch, by Jean Jacques Boileau (active 1787 and died after 1851) c. 1800

A drawing of a silver candle branch, Full size 140 x 148.
Acanthus scrolling arm terminating in a gadroned nozzle.

Jean Jacques Boileau came from France to London in about 1787 where he carried out murals for Henry Holland at Carlton House. He also worked as a decorator and designer of furniture at Fonthill Splendens for William Beckford and finished printed wallpaper for Frederick Eckhardt.
Boileau is known to have designed silver between 1799 and about 1805, but elements from his design language and certain types of objects continued to be used in silver production into the 1820s.
His silver style was strongly influenced by the designs of Jean Guillaume Moitte for the Parisian maker Robert Joseph Auguste in the 1780s to the 1790s but was also affected by prints by Charles Heathcote Tatham, to whose books of etchings he subscribed in 1799, and Giovanni Battista Piranesi.
He can be credited with introducing the pure ‘Grecian’ style into early 19th century British silver, as well as an Egyptian style derived from that used in France.
His earliest known silver designs were for the goldsmith Paul Storr and they later became part of the repertoire of Rundell, Bridge and Rundell.
His silver style can also be found in objects made in ormolu.
Boileau’s designs for silver in the Victoria and Albert Museum include both ideas for pieces that are known to have been made as well as speculative designs, which were probably not carried out. Also in the collection area few drawings by other hands in Boileau’s style, although nothing is known about him having had any pupils.
Boileau’s presence is recorded again in 1827, when Augustus Pugin praises his talents as a designer during the renovation works of Windsor Castle. Three carpet designs by him for Windsor Castle are in the Royal Collection (RCIN 931283, RCIN 931286, RCIN 931288).
This and the other drawings by J. J. Boileau and his school were probably in the collection of A. C. Pugin and sold at Mr Wheatley’s rooms,4th June 1843, lot 469, Boileau’s (J.) “Series of drawings appropriated to the gold and silversmiths”, bought by Williams for 3 shillings.

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