Estimate

5.000 - 8.000

Session 1

21 October 2024

Description

Silver 950/000
Reliefs and engraved foliage decoration with central Angel sculpture with garlands and
engraved heraldic shield
Two with engraved badge SEMPER FIDELIS
Gilt silver liners
France, 19th century
Assay warrantee mark, goldsmith's mark Gustave Odiot (1763-1850), commercial mark ODIOT-PARIS and numbered 579 and 8014
(wear to gilding, minor design variations)
France, 19th century

18x22x7 cm
2847,6 g

Category

Silver

THE MAISON ODIOT: ART AND ECLECTICISM IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY FRENCH GOLDSMITHING

Gustave Odiot (1823-1912) was born to an illustrious dynasty of French goldsmiths, being the direct heir of an artistic tradition started by his grandfather, Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot (1763-1850), one of the most renowned First Empire goldsmiths. Indeed, Jean-Baptiste-Claude was a major contributor to the development of the Empire Style itself, being famous for his ubiquitous use of Classical Antiquity motifs, such as sphynxes, female figures holding vases and other Classical inspired decorative elements. His artworks became undisputed symbols of power and magnificence in most European courts, namely in France and in Russia. From 1827 onwards, his son Charles-Nicolas (1789-1868), who succeeds the former in the management of the family workshop, introduces a new grammar of softer decorative elements that included such motifs as cherubs and flower garlands. This transition reflected the contemporary growing interest in the rococo revival, a theme which would later be explored, and further developed, by Gustave Odiot on taking the reins of the business. Synonymous of excellence in its trade, Maison Odiot was, throughout the 19th century, entrusted with some of the most prestigious commissions of its history, including some for the Portuguese Royal House as well as for Portuguese nobility, namely the Dukes of Palmela. Determinant in Gustave’s vision was effectively his search for innovation, stylistic eclecticism and attention to detail, characteristics that placed him amongst the most renowned goldsmiths of his generation. T he oeuvre of Gustave Odiot Gustave Odiot was able to maintain his ancestral family tradition while simultaneously expanding the stylistic range and absorbing the eclectic taste that characterised the Second Empire Period. The symbiosis between styles as dissimilar as Italian Renaissance and French Rococo is evident in his production, resulting in rather unique designs that appealed to the wealthy classes of his time. In addition, Gustave introduced technical and stylistic innovations, such as the adoption of oriental references, that reflected the rising popularity of chinoiserie and Japanism in the second half of the 19th century and, from 1869 onwards, the Odiot workshop, in collaboration with Edouard Récipon, produced a range of pieces in the Chinese style. Recognition and Legacy Despite his own exceptional production, Gustave Odiot was at times overshadowed by his grandfather’s prestige. Recent biographies however, and more thorough research carried out on the Odiot family, have reassessed his own relevance. Much admired in his own country as well as abroad, Gustave Odiot was appointed goldsmith to the Russian Court in 1898, a fact that attests to the international breadth of his talent. In the present-day Gustave’s Odiot’s exceptional talent can be admired in major international private collections and in exceptional museums, namely the Louvre, in Paris, or the Victoria & Albert in London.

Literature: Jones, Vivien. Odiot: Masterpieces in Silver and Gold. Paris: Editions de la Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1990. Augarde, Jean-Dominique. Les Odiot, Orfèvres et la Couronne. Paris: Flammarion, 2002. Dupré, Gérard. L'Orfèvrerie Française aux XVIIIe et XIXe siècles. Paris: Librairie des Arts Décoratifs, 1975. Museum Victoria and Albert. Masterpieces of European Silverware. London: V&A Publishing, 1989.

TIAGO FRANCO RODRIGUES