Tureen, stand, liner

Description

This elliptical-shaped shallow silver tureen on a proportionately shaped presentation stand was originally one of a stylish pair for a table service made in Paris not long before the French Revolution. Classical style cast ornament punctuates the smooth surfaces, combining a putti with a resting sheep on the lid, lion head ring handles on the bowl, and four hairy paw feet supporting the delicate foot ring and also the stand. Garlands of berries and leaves crisscross the frieze section of the bowl, nearly obscuring a lidded urn at the midpoint. Much of the ornament is fixed in place with threaded bolts, necessitating an interior liner to contain the stew contents. This tureen is unusual in that the original liner is still nestled within the bowl. Two related coats of arms are engraved into the underside of the lid, the bottom of the liner, and beneath the stand. One belongs to Angélique-Aimée de Rostaing (d.1842) and her first husband, Mathieu de Montholon, comte de Lee, called the Marquis de Montholon (d.1788) who married in 1773. The other armorial device belongs to Angélique and her second husband, Charles-Louis Huguet de Montaran, comte de Sémonville (d. 1839). Two young sons from the first marriage, Charles-Tristan and Louis-Desire de Montholon-Sémonville (d.1863), were adopted by Huguet. One likely inherited this tureen and stand. In 1966 the Campbell Museum acquired this tureen from Parisian antiques dealer Jacques Kugel. In 1996 the Campbell Museum transferred by gift their significant collection of tureens and soup related items to Winterthur Museum.