Pair Of Cassolettes Attr. To H. Dasson, France, Circa 1880

Beautiful pair of Louis XVI-inspired baluster-shaped serpentine cassolettes, with an elegant chiseled and gilded bronze mount. The lid, resting on an openwork gilded bronze frieze, is topped with a seed-shaped grip.The body is decorated with two leafy handles joining the pedestal, surrounded by a laurel torus, which rests on a square base.

Serpentine is a stone that has been highly valued since Antiquity and used over the centuries for prestigious purposes, in the form of mosaic cladding, as in certain rooms in the Vatican City in the 16th century, but also for precious objects. Ex : Urn-cassolette with handles representing a mermaid and a faun, Pierre Gouthière and after François-Joseph Bélanger, circa 1775, Louvre Museum (OA 5178) (see photo attached)

Biography :
Cabinet-maker and bronze-caster, Henry Dasson (1825-1896) executed in his Paris workshop sumptuous copies of royal 18th century models and some pieces of his own modified 18th century design. For his pieces of furniture, he used the very finest ormolu mounts with high quality mercurial gilding. He mainly produced in the Louis XV and Louis XVI style. His participation at the Paris 1878 Universal Exhibition was highly remarked with Louis XVI style decorative objects and a table, all made of bronze and considered as a «chasing masterpiece», as well as a copy of the famous King Louis XV desk (original piece exhibited at Versailles), which was also admired by critics. At the 1889 Universal Exhibition, he won a «grand Prix» for his outstanding furniture. Dasson closed down his business in 1894.