Tobogan Antiques Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Height : 39,5 cm (15,5 in.) ; Diameter : 32,5 cm (12,8 in.) ; Base : 30 x 30 cm (11,8 x 11,8 in.) Elegant Louis-Philippe period centerpiece, with rich Renaissance-inspired chiseled ...

Charming table service consisting of 12 large plates and 4 dessert plates made in ironstone. Octagonal in shape, each plate illustrates a fable by La Fontaine such as The Crayfish an...

Elegant oval cut-crystal centerpiece decorated with stylized palmettes on a grid background, resting on a silver patina bronze mount representing blooming branches. Biography : The ...

Rich landscape in cloisonné enamel on blue and brown background imitating Aventurine stone, attributed to L.C. Sevin and F. Barbedienne. The decor represents a river surrounded by wi...

Exceptional centerpiece in silvered and gilded bronze, composed of a naiad riding a dolphin, supporting a chiseled shell decorated with reeds, adorned with the head of a river god on its bow and on which a winged love blows in a conch. The whole rests on a pedestal decorated with dolphin heads and cut-out leathers, ending with a porphyry base with molded steps. Historical and artistic context Centers and naves of tables are attested in France from the Middle Ages in order to present spices and other condiments brought from distant lands around the Mediterranean or from the trade of the Silk Roads. The importance of their presence on prestigious tables will be confirmed throughout the decorative arts, evolving during the 19th century in centerpieces, becoming a central element of decoration. Here we find a true virtuosity in the composition and representation of the human figure which is reminiscent of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance. Indeed, the fluidity of the lines of the naiad can be compared to the nymph of Fontainebleau by Benvenuto Cellini preserved at the Louvre museum and dated 1545, while the naturalist representation of the marine setting refers to the work of Wenzel Jamnitzer...

Elegant centerpiece attributed to Baccarat, composed of an oval cut-crystal cup and two circular cut-crystal cups decorated with stylized palmettes on a grid background, resting on a...

Pair of porcelain glass-coolers with painted medallions and gilded ornaments on a turquoise blue background, mounted on a gilt bronze base, in the style of the Manufacture of Sèvres....

Charming Restauration style Paris porcelain tea set with red and gold Amati background, composed of a teapot, five cups with winding handle and their saucer, and a bowl. This set, li...

Elegant centerpiece in finely chiseled vermeil. Composed of a Baccarat cut-crystal cup from which emerge four sinuous light-arms. The whole rests on a scalloped mirrored tray adorned with foliage, with a molded contour of wrapped rushes and ending with four openwork feet. The two French goldsmiths George Boin and his son-in-law Emile Taburet created circa 1875 in Paris the company Boin-Taburet. They made many silver pieces inspired by the beautiful services of the eighteenth century. At the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878, Georges Boin presented a “service de toilette” inspired by the work of François-Thomas Germain (1726-1791), and then at the Universal Exhibition of 1889, several epergnes, including one of them executed after drawings by the famous artist Juste-Aurèle Meissonier (1695-1750), as well as tea sets of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI styles. Boin-Taburet firm also exhibited a tureen and platter after Pierre Germain...

18th century Famille verte China porcelain mural fountain, decorated with lotus, tree and bird motifs. The faucet is coming out of a dragon mouth. Beaut...

Pair of 18th century soft-paste porcelain dishes finely decorated in the 19th century with medallions representing Japanese theatre characters dressed in traditional costumes, beautiful gold-embossed ornament on a polychrome background. These dishes are to be linked with the production of the Sèvres Manufacture. The Manufacture de Sèvres, factory of soft-paste porcelain, was founded in 1738 at Vincennes by bankers and financiers hoping to discover the secret of making hard-paste porcelain, used in Meissen at the time. In 1753, King of France Louis XV became the main shareholder of the factory, transferring it to Sèvres, closer to Versailles and the castle of Bellevue, owned by la Marquise de Pompadour, very interested by Sèvres’ research and supportive of the works. In 1759, the King became the sole shareholder of the Manufacture, making it the property of the French Crown. From this day on, the Sèvres artworks were marked with the royal seal, two intertwined “L’s”, as well as a letter indicating the year of creation. The period between 1756 and 1779 represents the most prosperous years for the factory. To support Sèvres, Louis XV made sumptuous orders offered as diplomatic presents. The main artists at the time, such as painters Boucher and Bachelier or sculptors Falconet and Boizot, worked for the factory. Research on the making of hard-paste porcelain kept going and succeeded after 1769. From this year, Sèvres successfully produced both soft-paste and hard-paste porcelain. It is also during this period that the most beautiful and singular colors were invented: bleu lapis in 1752, bleu celeste in 1753, green in 1756, famous pink in 1757 and royal blue in 1763. The most significant pieces are ornamented with scenes inspired by engravings from famous painters (Boucher) and ornamentalists. They are also decorated with garlands, bunches of flowers, trophies, gildings… The fine quality of Sèvres’ production covers a large range of statuettes (Falconet’s threatening Love), full services (Rambouillet’s service is presented to Marie-Antoinette in 1788), as well as utilitarian or ornamental items. The role played by haberdashers in the production’s development is essential. They originated trends around Sèvres-designed products, such as Daguerre who decorated his most precious furniture with porcelain...