This table decoration, or plat-de-menage, was made in 1724-25 by the famous Parisian silversmith Claude Ballin II. On the tray stands a fruit basket with four female half-figures. At the corners are candlesticks on twisted supports, silver cruet vessels and openwork stands for glass vessels (now lost), intended to hold oil, pepper, vinegar and the other spices which became popular in France in the early 18th century at the time of great developments in colonial trade. Along with another identical plat-de-menage in the Hermitage, this piece would seem to have been intended for the daughters of Peter the Great, Anna and Elizabeth.
Title:
Plat-de-Menage
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Material:
Technique:
cast and chased
Dimensions:
h. 48 cm
Acquisition date:
Transferred to the Hermitage from the Office of the Marshal of the Court
Inventory Number:
Э-8667
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