Beaker

Bell or tulip-shaped beakers became the dominant form used throughout France in the first half of the eighteenth century. Made in 1778-1780, this beaker with its ornate floral engraved decoration clearly reflects the Rococo style, somewhat old-fashioned for this date.




The beaker was made by Catherine-Charlotte-Genevieve-Decomble Brissot (or Brisseau), likely the widow of Jean-Baptiste Brissot (or Brisseau) (see 48.187.313). A widow, carrying on her husband’s shop often kept his maker’s mark, adding the initials of her maiden or married name and usually the letter V for veuve (widow).



Possibly a component of a dressing table set, this beaker could also have been part of a set of cutlery and other dining implements to be used when the owner was traveling.



This beaker was part of the collection of silver bequeathed to the museum in 1948 by Catherine D. Wentworth (1865-1948). Mrs. Wentworth was the daughter of one of the founders of the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company. She was an art student and painter who lived in France for thirty years and one of the most important American collectors of eighteenth-century French silver. Part of her significant holdings, which included snuffboxes, French furniture, and textiles as well, were left to the Metropolitan Museum. The collection is particularly strong in domestic silver, much of it provincial, and includes a number of rare early pieces.