Lot 590: A PAIR OF FRENCH BRONZE EWERS

A PAIR OF FRENCH BRONZE EWERS
LATE 19TH CENTURY, AFTER SIGISBERT-FRANCOIS MICHEL (1728-1811)
One surmounted by a triton and decorated with a dolphin mask and rushes, the other surmounted by a satyr and decorated with a goat mask and grape vines
17½ in. (44.5 cm.) high (2)

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All lots removed to off-site warehouse the day after the sale - 2 weeks free storage
In 1774 Sigisbert-Francois Michel exhibited a pair of plaster ewers surmounted by a triton and a satyr (emblematic of water and wine) in the Académie de Saint-Luc, Paris. This prototype was later the basis for a number of subsequent ewers in malachite biscuit porcelain and bronze.

Wedgwood versions in basalt and jasperware could also be found in England after 1775 when John Flaxman Sr. presented Josiah Wedgwood with a plaster model based on Michel's original model.