Getty Museum
Drawing of a Ewer
Creator
Robert-Joseph AugusteFrench Artist · 1723–1805
All works by this person →In the late 1700s, Robert-Joseph Auguste's works in gold, silver, and bronze were renowned throughout Europe. In 1776 an English silversmith described Auguste in a letter: "as I have not seen the best productions of Monsr Auguste I therefore presume I have seen nothing. His fame I am persweded is founded on superior Merit because I have heard so many Noblemen of good Tast concur in ye same opinion
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1775–1780
- Medium
- Brown ink with brown and gray washes
- Culture
- French
- Department
- Drawings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
This presentation drawing of a vase-shaped pitcher reflects Robert-Josephe Auguste's profession as goldsmith to the court of Louis XVI, and the type of object he was typically commissioned to create. It depicts a vessel with a streamlined profile and decorative motifs of swags and a mermaid--a playful reference to the water that the ewer would contain. Auguste was one of the first Parisian goldsmiths to produce works in a Neoclassical style, an approach that emerged in the second half of the eighteenth century influenced by the art and spirit of ancient Greek and Roman art and culture. It is not known if a form like this design was ever made; little of what Auguste produced for the Crown has survived.
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