A PAIR OF FRENCH ORMOLU AND VERDE ANTICO MARBLE CASSOLETTES

The present lot is modeled after a celebrated perfume-burner, now preserved at the Wallace Collection, London (cat. no. F292). Mounted by Pierre Gouthière (d. 1813), it was first noted in the 1782 inventory of the Hôtel d'Aumont, and was subsequently purchased for Marie-Antoinette by Le Brun. The design, attributed to François-Joseph Bellanger (d. 1818) is inspired by 'Antique' bronze tripods discovered in archaeological expeditions of the mid-18th Century.