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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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A superb Empire silver coffee-pot by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot, the oviform body with an applied figure of the young Bacchus riding a panther, supported on a trumpet foot, with an ebonised handle, a lion head spout and hinged lid surmounted by a swan Paris, date circa 1809-19 Fully hallmarked. Height 25 cm. Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot (1763-1850) was one of the most important European silversmiths of his day. He descended from a family of goldsmiths and was not only a metal chaser but also a designer. He was received as a maître in 1785 and in the same year succeeded his father’s business. Odiot ceased trading during the Revolution but flourished during the reign of Napoleon and the Bourbon monarchy. His career as a silversmith essentially began in 1802 when he was awarded a gold medal at the Exposition de l’Industrie. When Napoleon’s chief silversmith, Henri Auguste went bankrupt in 1809, Odiot purchased many of the latter’s designs and models. Although Odiot had executed a travelling service for Napoleon (circa 1795-1809), it was probably not until Auguste’s demise that he and his rival, Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843) became Napoleon’s favourite silversmiths. The majority of Odiot’s major works date from after 1809. Among his more complex commissions was one for a dressing table set for the Empress Marie-Louise, 1810 and another for the Cradle for the King of Rome, 1811, made in collaboration with P. -P. Thomire. While the cradle was designed by Prud’hon, other more important pieces were designed by Percier and Fontaine. Odiot received a number of important commissions from abroad; both he and Biennais contributed to a huge service for Prince Camillo Borghese. Count Branicki of Russia, Catherine the Great of Russia and Count Nikolai Demidoff of Russia were also very important patrons. The majority of Odiot’s work was quintessentially in the Empire style, his classical forms and shapes were generally plain and smooth perfectly offsetting strong applied cast figural elements. Some of his later works, dating from the 1820’s were worked in the revived rococo style. Odiot retired in 1823 leaving the business to his son, Charles-Nicolas (1789-1868). http://www.richardreddingantiques.com/collection/silver/empire-coffee-pot-by-jean-baptiste-claude-odiot |
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