99th Auction
2019/5/11
Lot 486
"CL" (Charles le Bastier, Paris), stamped 870, 53 x 39 x 21 mm, 121 g, circa 1777/1778
An exquisite Louis XVI double-opening gold enamel box "boîte à mouche"
Case: 20k gold, enamel, maker's mark "CL" (Charles le Bastier, Paris), charge and discharge mark Jean-Baptiste Fouache (1775-1781), Parisian guild punch mark "O" for the years 1777-1778.
All sides of the rectangular box are covered with small, translucent gold and enamel panels "en agate arborisée" that are painted with sepia Camaïeu sprays on linear-patterned engine-turned ground, imitating dendritic agate. Cover and base are framed by sablé borders with autumn leaves, foliate scrolls and translucent red enamel berries. The inside has two compartments: the bottom one holds a small golden brush, the upper compartment is covered with a delicate hinged lid that is ornamented in the same style as the outside. Both base and cover are set with mirrors inside.
Charles Le Bastier (active 1754-1783) was known for his elaborate enamel boxes. He was one of the most renowned goldsmiths in the time of Louis XV and Louis XVI.
Le Bastier became a master in 1754. He worked for Garand and Granchez, who owned the curiosity and jeweller’s shop Petit Dunkerque on Quai Conti - Queen Marie-Antoinette was one of their clients. The shop offered magnificent jewellery from all over the world. Eventually Le Bastier opened his own business at Rue Thévenot; he worked there until his death in 1783.
The Mousee de Louvre owns 13 boxes by Le Bastier (see S. Grandjean, "Les tabatières du musée du Louvre", Paris, 1981, p. 121-128, no. 138-150). Other examples of his work are part of the Gilbert Collection and on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
An exquisite Louis XVI double-opening gold enamel box "boîte à mouche"
Case: 20k gold, enamel, maker's mark "CL" (Charles le Bastier, Paris), charge and discharge mark Jean-Baptiste Fouache (1775-1781), Parisian guild punch mark "O" for the years 1777-1778.
All sides of the rectangular box are covered with small, translucent gold and enamel panels "en agate arborisée" that are painted with sepia Camaïeu sprays on linear-patterned engine-turned ground, imitating dendritic agate. Cover and base are framed by sablé borders with autumn leaves, foliate scrolls and translucent red enamel berries. The inside has two compartments: the bottom one holds a small golden brush, the upper compartment is covered with a delicate hinged lid that is ornamented in the same style as the outside. Both base and cover are set with mirrors inside.
Charles Le Bastier (active 1754-1783) was known for his elaborate enamel boxes. He was one of the most renowned goldsmiths in the time of Louis XV and Louis XVI.
Le Bastier became a master in 1754. He worked for Garand and Granchez, who owned the curiosity and jeweller’s shop Petit Dunkerque on Quai Conti - Queen Marie-Antoinette was one of their clients. The shop offered magnificent jewellery from all over the world. Eventually Le Bastier opened his own business at Rue Thévenot; he worked there until his death in 1783.
The Mousee de Louvre owns 13 boxes by Le Bastier (see S. Grandjean, "Les tabatières du musée du Louvre", Paris, 1981, p. 121-128, no. 138-150). Other examples of his work are part of the Gilbert Collection and on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Sold
estimated
18.000—25.000 €
Price realized
29.100 €