Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot à oille)

This pot-à-oille was designed by master goldsmith Henri Auguste after drawings by draftsman and sculptor Jean Guillaume Moitte. Though many of the neoclassical decorative elements on this piece are pulled from Moitte’s design, Auguste’s final product leaves out much of the proposed ornamentation. Instead this object finds distinction in its large size and smooth expanses of silver that emphasize the purity of its lines.