CHRISTOFLE, "Céleri model", exceptional repoussé silver SOUP - Lot 130

CHRISTOFLE, "Céleri model", exceptional repoussé silver SOUP ECUELLE CHRISTOFLE, "Céleri model". Exceptional round covered ECUELLE A SOUPE in repoussé silver (950‰) with two lateral grips and standing on four scrolled feet. Decorated with ribboned fillets, twisted ribs, celery branches and shells on the body and handles. The lid is surmounted by a frétel in the shape of celery, leek and pepper branch (?) from which twisted ribs radiate. Minerve hallmark 1st title, Christofle diamond hallmark: bee, three stars, initials CC. Weight : 3139 g. Length : 34 cm, width : 26 cm, height : 24 cm. Silver-plated metal lining. Created by sculptor Philippe-Joseph Joindy and exhibited at the Paris World's Fair in 1889. In 1830, Charles Christofle took over the small family jewelry shop in which he was apprenticed. The house of Christofle was born, and would continue to surround itself with renowned designers and prosper to become one of the jewels of French goldsmithing. Early on in its quest for diversification, the company purchased a patent in 1837 for the manufacture of all-metal fabrics, enabling it to create silver filigree pieces and hangings, and to supply the army with epaulettes and braids. Innovation being at the heart of the company's development, the acquisition of new patents enabled Henri Bouillet, Charles Christofle's nephew and successor, to perfect and develop in 1852 a process for the industrial manufacture of silver- and gold-plated silverware by electroplating. When Napoleon III came to power in 1852, he chose Christofle as his official supplier, ordering a set of 4,000 pieces using this new method. Today, only one piece remains from this suite: the famous and monumental Surtout de table, rescued from the ruins of the Tuileries Palace and now on display in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris*. From this point on, the prestigious Christofle company took pride of place in the competitions of the 19th century's Universal Exhibitions, against a backdrop of intense international competition in the arts and techniques. At the 1889 Exposition Universelle, Christofle & Cie won two grand prizes and a gold medal, as well as several individual awards for the company's designers. It was at this same exhibition that the company presented "a sumptuous table service, in solid silver, Regency style, served in the old French fashion and entirely repoussé, according to the purest methods" as described by Emile Monod in his Illustrated General Catalogue*. The tureen presented in our auction is in silver and may have been part of this set, although it is not possible to state this with absolute certainty in the absence of numbering (unlike the silver-plated models). It appears on a photo plate from the Bouilhet Christofle Conservatory. A similar silver-plated model will be on display at the "Christofle, une brillante histoire" exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from November 14, 2024 to April 20, 2025. *Catalogue général Monod, Émile - L'exposition universelle de 1889 : grand ouvrage illustré Tome III p.535 - vue 541/67