Chocolate Pot Ath 1784, Philippront, Louis XVI, Solid Silver Tripod Coffee Pot

A splendid and majestic Louis XVI period tripod chocolate pot, bearing the hallmarks of the city of Ath, the date 1784, and the hallmark of the master silversmith Jean Louis Philippront. At 38 cm tall, it is among the largest known chocolate pots and is of a quality rarely found in eighteenth-century silverware. The nobility of the precious material, silver, combined with the incredible sumptuousness of its size and neoclassical form, makes it an exceptional specimen in the production of Ath. The three medallions containing portraits of Roman emperors are executed to a high medal standard, probably based on a Renaissance engraving. Jean Louis Philippront is undoubtedly the most important goldsmith from Ath in the second half of the eighteenth century. Unlike most of his contemporaries who struggled to survive by making "minuties" (shoe buckles, small boxes, and snuffboxes), Philippront produced sumptuous, high-quality goldsmithing. He began his career in 1752 and worked until the mid-1780s. His Louis XV style pieces are very successful. But it was when he began creating Louis XVI style objects that he displayed true virtuosity and sometimes even a touch of humor, as I once discovered a coffee pot by his hand where he had made the spout in the shape of a huge tubular brick chimney, like those found everywhere. in Hainaut at the beginning of the industrial revolution. The weight of this chocolate pot, made of 938% silver, is close to 1300 grams.