A FINE BELGIAN SILVER HOT-WATER KETTLE, STAND AND BURNER

细节

A FINE BELGIAN SILVER HOT-WATER KETTLE, STAND AND BURNER
Liège 1772, maker's mark of Jean-Melchior Dartois

The circular body, flat hinged cover and bird's head spout spirally fluted, the swing handle with acanthus leaf attachments, the stand raised on bifurcated feet headed by radiating shells with pierced scroll and shell decoration at the rim, with removable centre-piece similarly decorated, the spirally fluted burner with domed cover, fitted with removable wick-holder, marked on base of kettle, rim of centre-piece, support and base of burner -- the kettle 19 cm (7½ in) diam., stand 17 cm (6¾ in) diam.
The kettle 1,530 gr.
The stand (with burner) 1,165 gr. (4)

拍品专文

Jean-Melchior Dartois (1726-1804) was active from circa 1755 to 1793. His production is in the best rococo and neo-classical styles and includes a few braziers similar to the present one but of simpler decoration (cf. L'Orfèvrerie Civile Ancienne du Pays de Liège, Liège, 1991, nr. 143 and 162), and without the accompanying kettle.
The peculiar finial of the present kettle, in the shape of a bean, is a feature of silver vessels made in Liège in the 1770's. Its having been used by Dartois as early as 1772 for the present kettle contradicts the attribution to Gilles Berryer suggested (cf. op.cit., nr. 187) on the basis of a 1775 coffee pot by this maker.