Medium
Silver gilt
Dimensions
18 1/4 x 14 1/8 in. (46.4 x 35.9 cm); Other: 20 1/8 in. (51.1 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1934
Accession Number
34.17.1a–c
Tags
About the Artist
Martin-Guillaume Biennais|Charles Percier|Pierre François Léonard Fontaine · 1764–1843
Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764–1843) was the most celebrated goldsmith and silversmith of the Napoleonic era, a craftsman whose work in precious metals became synonymous with the taste and grandeur of the First Empire. Beginning his career as a toy-maker and lacquer merchant, he made the remarkable transition to goldsmithing in the 1790s, establishing himself in Paris and rapidly attracting the p...