Pierre Gouthière and the Duke of Aumont

Two Vases, ca. 1770–75
Gilt bronze by Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813)
After a design by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818)
Porphyry carved in Rome in the eighteenth century
Red porphyry and gilt bronze
Musée du Louvre, Paris

A passionate collector of hardstones, the Duke of Aumont was particularly fond of marble, granite, porphyry, serpentine, jasper, and agate, which the neoclassical tastes of the time had brought back into fashion. When possible, he obtained them in Italy, which was generally thought to have the finest stones.

For these vases, which had been carved and polished in Rome, Gouthière was commissioned to produce gilt-bronze mounts. His intervention was minimal; he created extremely simple bases finely chased with friezes of interlacing motifs and strings of pearls.

Pair of Vases, ca. 1770–75
Gilt bronze by Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813)
Granite probably carved by Augustin Bocciardi (1719–1797) or Pierre-Jean-Baptiste Delaplanche
After a design by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818)
Green granite, bardiglio, and gilt bronze
Private collection

It was probably an artisan working in Paris under the direction of the architect François-Joseph Bélanger who carved these rare and original vases, with bottoms in the form of a cul-de-lampe, echoing the knob forms on the tops of the lids. Unable to stand, they had to be supported by a mount, which was created by Gouthière after designs by Bélanger.

Pair of Vases, ca. 1770–75
Gilt bronze by Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813)
Alabaster probably carved by Augustin Bocciardi (1719–1797) or Pierre-Jean-Baptiste Delaplanche
After a design by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1832)
Alabaster, green marble, and gilt bronze
Private collection

The seventh entry in the sale catalogue for the Duke of Aumont’s collections consisted of two large, handsome columns of verde antico marble discovered in 1766 near the Temple of Vesta in Rome. On top, each had an alabaster vase described in the catalogue as “interesting” and with ornamentation “of an excellent type . . . perfectly carried out.”

Louis XVI acquired the full set of items. While the columns were kept in the Salle des Antiques at the Louvre, the vases were left in a storehouse for more than twenty years. In 1793, they were transferred to the Muséum du Louvre, but they clearly fell out of favor: in October 1797 — on orders from the Ministry of Finance and to cover the costs of establishing the new museum — these two alabaster vases “of mediocre quality” were sold. The fairly low price of the estimate was clearly determined by the defective alabaster and not by Gouthière’s mounts, the originality and execution of which are almost without equal. In particular, the laurel leaves so realistically capture the density and variety of a branch of blossoming laurel that they look as if cast from nature.

Vase, ca. 1775–80
Gilt bronze by Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813)
Porphyry possibly carved by Augustin Bocciardi (1719–1797) or Pierre-Jean-Baptiste Delaplanche
After a design by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818)
Green Greek porphyry and gilt bronze
Musée du Louvre, Paris; transfer from the Mobilier National, 1901

Here, Gouthière created elegant mounts in the shape of two seated female figures, looking in opposite directions. Though at first glance they seem identical, these small figures were made from two separate molds. One, representing a female satyress, wears a crown of ivy and holds a branch of the same; the second figure, a mermaid covered in drapery, wears a crown of laurels and clutches a laurel branch.

Vase, ca. 1775–80
Gilt bronze by Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813)
Porphyry possibly carved by Augustin Bocciardi (1719–1797) or Pierre-Jean-Baptiste Delaplanche
After a design by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818)
Green Greek porphyry and gilt bronze
Musée du Louvre, Paris; transfer from the Mobilier National, 1901

This vase, similar in shape and material to another vase in this exhibition, fetched a much lower price at the sale of the Aumont’s collection. It was sold to Louis XVI, who was prepared to spend three times more for the vase with female figures. Clearly, the cataloguers for the sale thought this vase was of inferior quality since their assessment was less laudatory.

Pair of Incense Burners, ca. 1775
Gilt bronze by Pierre Gouthièr (1732–1813)
After a design by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818)
Japanese Kakiemon porcelain, eighteenth century
Hard-paste porcelain, porphyry, and gilt bronze
Private collection

At the time of his death in April 1782, the Duke of Aumont owned more than four hundred pieces of oriental porcelain, which, along with his hardstone pieces, were the pride of his collection. Eight of them received mounts by Gouthière. Here, as elsewhere, Gouthière’s gilt bronzes enhanced and transformed already highly prized objects.

Capital for a Porphyry Column, ca. 1775–80
Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813)
Probably after a design by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818)
Gilt bronze
Musée du Louvre, Paris; Founding collection

This capital epitomizes the relationships Gouthière had with the most inventive architects of the time, the purity of the neoclassicism he developed under their guidance, and the extravagance of the objects he created for his most illustrious patrons. The capital was made to crown an antique porphyry column owned by the Duke of Aumont, who, during the second half of the eighteenth century, assembled a prestigious collection of marble columns and hardstone vases. These objects were highly sought after by the most refined collectors in Europe since the Renaissance.

François-Joseph Bélanger, who probably designed the capital, was inspired by an antique column that also belonged to the duke. A large marble ball (now lost) was originally placed on top. Today, only the preparatory drawing for the catalogue engraving gives an idea of the superb contrast of colors between the gilt bronze and the various marbles used.

At the sale of the Duke of Aumont’s collections, the complete column was acquired by Louis XVI for the enormous sum of 6,999 livres (about twice the annual salary of a teacher). The king purchased it for the future “Muséum” du Louvre (now the Musée du Louvre), which opened in 1793 and still houses the column and capital.

Pair of Candelabra, 1782
Gilt bronze by Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813)
After a design by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818)
One vase, Meissen factory porcelain, ca. 1720; the other, a later replacement
Hard-paste porcelain and gilt bronze
The Frick Collection, New York; Gift of Sidney R. Knafel, 2016

These candelabra, among Gouthière’s last commissions for the Duke of Aumont, are a true tour de force. The extremely detailed chasing lends a naturalistic appearance to the swirling ivy and grapevines decorating the vases’ shoulders, as well as to the individual pomegranates, pears, and other fruits that spill from the cornucopias that form each candleholder. At the same time, the rough texture of the goats’ ridged horns contrasts with the silky appearance of their wool.

Pair of Vases, 1782
Gilt bronze by Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813)
After a design by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818)
Chinese Celadon porcelain, eighteenth century
Hard-paste porcelain, porphyry, and gilt bronze
Musée du Louvre; transfer from the Mobilier National, 1870

At the time of the Duke of Aumont’s death, Gouthière had nine items in his workshop including this pair of vases (originally Chinese garden seats) that had not yet been delivered to his greatest client and patron. However, he managed to complete the mounts before the sale of the duke’s collections, when the two vases were acquired by Louis XVI for an astonishingly high sum (7,501 livres).

Preparatory Drawing for the Engraving, Representing a Ewer from the Duke of Aumont’s Collections, 1782
Pierre-Adrien Pâris (1745–1819)
Pencil, ink, and watercolor on paper
In Catalogue des effets precieux qui composent le Cabinet de feu M. le duc d’Aumont. Par P. F. Julliot fils et A. J. Paillet (December 12−21, 1782)
Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris

Written by Philippe-François Julliot, a well-known merchant of luxury goods, and the painter Alexandre-Joseph Paillet, the catalogue for the estate sale of the collections of the Duke of Aumont included thirty engraved plates. The preparatory drawings for these engravings were made by the architect Pierre-Adrien Pâris, who had worked for the duke in the 1770s, decorating his hôtel particulier on Place Louis XV in Paris. Upon Aumont’s death, Pâris was summoned to appraise the unfinished gilt bronzes still on Gouthière’s premises.

Pâris made two additional drawings that were not engraved (including the one above and the one reproduced at the inset) that illustrate now lost objects by Gouthière. This watercolor represents one of a pair of celadon porcelain ewers, with gilt-bronze mounts by Gouthière, that were sold at the duke’s sale to an individual named “Abraham.” They were auctioned again two years later.

The illustration below represents an urn (from a pair) said to be in “lapis-colored old porcelain from China” and ornamented with a gilt-bronze mount by Gouthière. The catalogue states that they are “as precious for the perfection of their form and their color as they are for the ingenious taste of their ornamentation and the merit of their finish.” Unsurprisingly, these refined objects were acquired for Marie Antoinette.