Cleveland Museum of Art

Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot-à-oille)

Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier

Date

1735–38

Medium

silver

Culture

France, Paris

Department

Decorative Art and Design

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This tureen exemplifies the French Rococo style, an artistic movement celebrating naturalistic forms that developed in Paris during the early 1700s. In contrast to classical, controlled symmetry, Rococo forms morph, twist, and spill into the space around them. Meissonnier embellished this tureen in a picturesque arrangement of vegetables and creatures, transforming a utilitarian object into a decadent display of wealth and abundance. This masterpiece comes from a set of two tureens commissioned by the English Duke of Kingston during an extended stay in Paris in the 1730s. The langoustine, pigeon, and vegetables were cast using real examples giving the silver copies lifelike detail and appearance.

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