© Jacques Kuyten

Covered cup on a stand
Carved and set coconut
Silver metal and solid silver
France, Restoration period, circa 1820
Dimensions: H.: 18 x W.: 12 x D.:12 cm

This cup is made of a finely engraved, carved and cut coconut. Its decoration is divided into a set of horizontal registers separated from each other by the nut’s polished surface. The cup’s base and top are decorated with stylized acanthus leaves. On either side of the joint, beaded rows frame a four-petaled flowers frieze. The main repertoire features an ornamental band decorated with a network of antique-style plant arabesques standing out against a guilloche background. The nut is supported by both an inverted bell-shaped element, and by three dolphins whose tails form a loop. The dolphins rest on a column-shaped base decorated with antique medallions with swans. The ensemble is placed on a square plinth supported by paw-shaped feet covered with a myriad of cleverly organized small leaves. The joint is hemmed by an articulated strapping. A silver swan acts as a lid on top of the nut.

THE DOUBLEd (OR plated) SILVER TECHNIQUE

1689, 1699 and 1709 royal edicts calling for the smelting of goldsmithing to convert metal into money (edicts whose actual effects must be strongly qualified, for it only affected a part of the aristocracy and only the wealthiest goldsmiths), created a fashion movement in luxury, earthenware and metallic substitutes for silver. These were then very popular with the upper social classes, at least for a few decades, before the rise of porcelain.
It resulted in a goldsmith’s work at a lower cost – the silver coating wore off quickly. Silvered copper was mainly used from the 18th century until the second half of the 19th century. It didn’t completely disappear but it was replaced by electroplating (invented in 1837) before being perfected and industrialized by Charles Cristofle, then widely distributed from the middle of the 19th century thanks to the Universal Exhibitions of London and Paris.
The words “doubled” or “plated” are used for the same technique. The manufacturing descriptions, however, show that there’s an essential difference between them – the thickness is generally greater in the plated. The work itself consists in the application of a thin sheet of silver (or gold) to a metal (copper or brass) by welding and then laminating them together until the desired thickness is obtained.

THE COCONUT AS AN EXOTIC SYMBOL

Coconuts were already coveted during the Middle Ages. The oldest set nut dates back to the middle of the 13th century. It seems to have been used as a reliquary. The period at the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century known as the Age of Discovery, saw the rise of an appetite for exoticism and for naturalia, i.e. objects taken from the three reigns that, at the time, found a spot in the cabinets of curiosities of scholars and wealthy people. A symbol of distant and mysterious countries, the coconut became a fascinating object that reflected the diversity of creation. However, in order to meet ever more pressing demand, they would be transported to Europe in large numbers in the 17th century, gradually losing their status as a rare object. Carved with biblical or mythological scenes, enshrined or set in sumptuous silverware, sometimes embellished with precious stones, they turned into artificalia and adorned the homes of the aristocracy or the richest bourgeoisie, thus becoming a piece of art in its own right, often considered for the value of the added setting.

COLLECTIONS OF PRINTED MODELS

The beginning of the 19th century saw a boom in collections of line drawn decorative models. Line drawing i.e. only drawing the outlines of shapes and ornaments, without shadows nor volumes, made it possible to considerably lower the cost of producing these publications. They became affordable to many artists and craftsmen.
Some collections were specifically intended for the goldsmith’s trades. Others are of a more general nature, leaving perhaps more freedom to the creative process. Among the latter, Pierre-Nicolas Beauvallet’s “Fragments of architecture” (1750-1818) which served as an encyclopaedic ornamental repertoire. It was published as monthly deliveries of 6-page notebooks, as it was often done at the time. Without any concern for scale, the author blithely mixed Greco-Roman motifs such as architectural elements (fountains, sarcophagi, friezes), reproductions of statues, creations such as pieces of furniture or even decoration (vases, urns, various, table service elements, carpet design, etc.). Many different elements whose common denominator was to belong to the same ornamental grammar known as “Antique”. His work facilitated the assimilation and appropriation of the heritage of these ancient Mediterranean civilizations by the various craft trades.

Under the Restoration, ornamental motifs in use under the Empire (cornucopias, swans, griffins, stars, dolphins, palmettes, rosettes, foliage, candelabra, lyres, only with less warrior emblems) continued to be selected. These decorative elements were simplified and treated with less emphasis and more lightness. The swan resurfaced as an ornamental motif from the Consulate, when it was introduced in parks. An attribute of Apollo, but also Zeus’s shape when he metamorphosed to seduce Leda, it is the symbol of sensuality. Often associated with femininity and seduction, it adorned table elements or toiletries. As for the dolphin, and although it is a marine mammal, it was represented with scales, a winding tail and fish fins, according to the iconography of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Bibliography

• Odile Nouvel-Kammerer (s/dir.), L’Aigle et le Papillon : symboles des pouvoirs sous Napoléon, 1800-1815, Musée des arts décoratifs, Paris, 2008
• Pierre Kjellberg, Objets Montés, du Moyen Âge à nos jours, éd. de l’amateur, Paris, 2000
• Audrey Gay-Mazuel, Odiot, un atelier d’orfèvrerie sous l’Empire et la Restauration, musée des arts décoratifs, Paris, 2017
• Jean-Philippe Garric, «  le Recueil de décorations de Charles Percier et Pierre Fontaine » in Lucie Fléjou & Michaël Decrossas (s/dir.), Ornements XVe-XIXe siécles. Chefs-d’œuvres de la Bibliothèque de l’INHA, collection Jacques Doucet, éd. Mare et Martin, Paris, 2014
• Henri Bouihllet, Margo Raïssac, 150 ans d’orfèvrerie, éd. du Chêne, Paris, 1981

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This article was originally written in French by Thierry-Nicolas Tchakaloff. Translation by Laurent Garcia.