Pair of Double Salt Cellars in Solid Silver by BASCHELET, Paris 1819-1838

Superb pair of double salt cellars in first standard silver (950/1000) and cut crystal by the Parisian silversmith Quentin BASCHELET.

Each salt cellar features two Medici-shaped cut crystal liners with diamond point cutting, attributable to the LE CREUSOT glassworks, known as the Cristaux de la Reine. They are set within pierced silver mounts resting on moulded circular pedestal bases ornamented with a bead frieze and a crenellated frieze, above a chased base decorated with palmettes and motifs inspired by the archaeological repertoire against a matted ground.

The crystal liners flank a central tapered column rising from a baluster-shaped base ornamented with broad lanceolate leaves. Two pierced foliate scrolls enriched with florets animate the central section. The capital, composed of stylised palmettes, is surmounted by a beaded carrying ring issuing from two confronted cornucopias, a characteristic motif of the Neoclassical ornamental vocabulary of the first third of the 19th century.

The ensemble rests on a rectangular solid silver plinth raised on four lion paw feet enriched with palmettes.

Hallmarks (on the column, plinth and bases)
• Vieillard first standard silver hallmark
• Paris guarantee hallmark
• Maker’s mark: Quentin BASCHELET

Dimensions:
• Height: 16.5 cm
• Width: 15.8 cm
• Depth: 6.5 cm

Gross weight: 1014 grams.

This pair illustrates the persistence of the Neoclassical and archaeological vocabulary disseminated under the Empire period within Parisian silverwork of the first third of the 19th century.

The crystal liners are very closely related to those of a pair of double salt cellars preserved at the MUSÉE DU LOUVRE in Paris, dated circa 1820-1830 (inv. OA 12570 1-3).

Extremely fine chasing.


Quentin BASCHELET, successor to HUGUET, is a Parisian silversmith established at 13 cour de Harlay. He registered his maker’s mark in 1815. Although the date at which he ceased activity remains unknown, pieces bearing his mark are documented after 1838. His guarantee number is 1748.

Quentin BASCHELET ranks among the renowned Parisian silversmiths of the first third of the 19th century. He notably contributed to the celebrated BRANICKI service commissioned for General Count François-Xavier BRANICKI and his wife, alongside prestigious silversmiths such as ODIOT and François-Dominique NAUDIN.

Presented at the Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie Française held at the Louvre in 1819, this prestigious service probably entered the Wilanów Palace following the Countess’s death in 1838. A tea and coffee service from the ensemble is still preserved there today, while part of the dispersed pieces are now held in the collections of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.


MUSEUMS, PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND LISTED OBJECTS

Works by Quentin BASCHELET are preserved in several public collections and prestigious institutions, including:

• MUSÉE DES ARTS DÉCORATIFS, PARIS, Preserve jar with twelve spoons bearing the P.C. monogram, silver and silver-gilt, Paris, 1819-1838 (inv. 46646).

• WILANÓW PALACE, MUSEUM OF KING JAN III, WARSAW (Poland), Important group of silver objects from the BRANICKI service including an ewer, basin, candlestick, centrepiece, incense burner, several boxes, cups and a cheval mirror in silver, Paris, 1809-1819.

• ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, Table bell, silver-gilt, Paris, circa 1820.

Works by BASCHELET are also preserved in several French church treasuries and public collections, including Lodève, La Rochelle, Ingrandes, Castellane, Haramont, Châtillon-en-Bazois, Rosny-sur-Seine, Chanceaux, Aniane, Trévoux and Dinan, several pieces being protected as Historic Monuments.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

• GUINEBAUD Simon (ed.), Dinan et l’orfèvrerie religieuse au XIXe siècle, Dinan, Ville de Dinan, 2016.
• MONTES DE OCA Fernando, L'âge d'or du verre en France 1800-1830. Verreries de l'Empire et de la Restauration, Paris, F.M. Édition, 2001 (p. 230, ill. 230, no. 247).


EXHIBITIONS
• "Ils donnent : 10 ans de donations", Paris, Musée des Arts décoratifs, 20 March – 13 July 1979.