Empire Egg Cups, Paris 1803-1809, Jja

Blanchard, Solid Silver "Extremely rare pair of Empire style egg cups, the oldest of which dates from the period 1803-1809 and the most recent from after 1838. The first is by the hand of the goldsmith Jean-Joseph-Amedé Blanchard, received master goldsmith in Paris in 1803, the second probably dates from the Louis-Philippe period and is by the hand of another Parisian goldsmith, Louis Manant, several of whose works are in the collections of the Louvre Museum. They both bear the silver guarantee hallmarks of the first title of their respective periods (CoQ or Minerva). They are quite large and rather heavy for egg cups. Their shape is inspired by the so-called "Athenian" tables as found on ancient frescoes in Pompeii or Herculaneum, where several of these bronze objects were discovered during archaeological excavations in the eighteenth century. They weigh 135 grams. Price: €875 Artist: Jean Joseph Amedé Blanchard for one and Louis Manant for the other Period: 19th century Style: Empire - Consulate Condition: Perfect condition Material: Solid silver Diameter: 4.6 cm Height: 6.5 cm