281 - EUGÈNE MICHAUT

EUGÈNE MICHAUT Silver coffee pot, repoussé and chased A very beautiful and rare silver coffee pot, richly decorated with repoussé and chasing. The ovoid body, entirely in the “amati” style, is adorned with coiling volubilis vines in bloom, enlivened by butterflies and insects rendered in high relief. The spout and handle are integrated into a large naturalistic foliage motif. The lid, shaped like an eggshell, is topped by a snake entwined in foliage. The entire piece rests on a base lavishly adorned with plant motifs and embellished with a snail and a lizard. The interior is vermeil. The lid is engraved with “E. Michaut - PARIS.” Paris, circa 1880. Height: 20.5 cm Width: 19 cm Weight: 823 g. Historical Notes. This coffee pot is part of the revival of Parisian goldsmithing during the Second Empire, marked by the development of repoussé and chasing techniques, as well as an increased focus on sculptural effects. It is signed by Eugène Michaut, a chaser whose work in Paris is documented as early as the 1860s. The archives of the Association of Bronze Manufacturers and Workers specifically mention, in 1865, the award won by Eugène Michaut for a repoussé silver coffee pot. He also collaborated with the Christofle company in 1867 on the repoussé engraving of a coffee service designed by J. Chéret and presented at the Paris World’s Fair. A electroformed replica of this coffee pot is now housed at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (inv. D 275). The museum’s entry identifies Christofle as the manufacturer, Chéret as the designer, and Michaut as the engraver. In 1873, Michaut is still listed as “of the Christofle firm, in Paris.” After this period of collaboration, Michaut continued his work as an independent engraver and acquired the business of Alexandre-Auguste Turquet, a goldsmith in Paris from 1855 to 1882. In 1882, Michaut was listed as a “freelance engraver,” and his own master’s mark was then engraved. This development is important for understanding the status of this piece, which bears Michaut’s signature but lacks a manufacturer’s mark. Stylistically, the coffee pot is part of a tradition in Parisian goldsmithing in which naturalistic decoration, relief, and virtuosity in chasing played an increasingly prominent role. This trend can be compared to the beer mug by the Fannière brothers, made around 1865 and housed at the Musée d’Orsay, as well as the tea service created by Bapst Falize around 1889, now in the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and exhibited at the 1889 Paris World’s Fair. These parallels, which attest to the continuity of this decorative exploration in French goldsmithing during the second half of the 19th century, allow us to situate Michaut’s coffee pot within a context characterized by the emphasis placed on rich decoration and mastery of relief techniques. We would like to thank Ms. Caroline Radenac, Head of Heritage at the Conservatoire Bouilhet Christofle, for the documentary materials she provided.