France has always been known for its chic and refined taste
in art and design but back in the 19th Century, it had no other
rivals. At the turn of the 19th
Century, even while most of Europe was at war with Napoleon's France, the
aristocracy of Europe looked to Paris to define what was chic in dress, manners,
and of course, dining.
French aristo dining tables of the Napoleonic era literally
dripped with gold and silver. Tureens, entree dishes, centerpieces,
candelabra, dinner plates and flatware all glittered in the candle light
creating a magnificent back drop for the delicious excesses of the time.
The very best of art and design of the period incorporated classical forms and
these reflected the good taste and worldliness of the owners. Silversmiths from
London to Vienna to St. Petersburg took up the mantel of neo-classicism, copying everything
their clients saw in the palaces of France.
The dinner service above is a perfect example. Odiot, silversmiths to Napoleon (and still
producing today!), created a service for Count Nikolai Demidoff, a Russian
nobleman whose love of Paris led him to almost abandon his native Russia.
The centerpiece of this service is the figural tureen above that
stands two feet tall (60 cm.) and weighs 34 lbs. (15.5 kilos) of solid
silver. The entire service had over
60 pieces, so imagine how impressive it would have been to have dinner at the
Demidoffs!!!!
With the passing of time and the reversal of fortunes, the
service was broken up and sold as single pieces, each standing as individual
testaments to chic 19th century France.
image credits: © Christie’s. Re-print. First published 20-9-2011 as a contributing feature to another blog.
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