Paris 1758-1759 - Large Louis XV Period Solid Silver Chocolate Pot By J.-g. Véalle

Important Louis XV period chocolate pot in first standard solid silver.

Of baluster form, it stands on a tripod base with moulded bracket feet. The pouring spout, fitted with its original finely moulded hinged flap, features at its lower section a rich decoration of shells and scrolling motifs on a delicately chased matted ground, terminating in a stylised pomegranate finial.

The moulded cover, highlighted with concentric fillets, opens by means of a remarkable scroll thumbpiece. Its hinge is adorned with an elegant pinched escutcheon. It is surmounted by a removable finial formed as an antique-inspired knop resting on a moulded terrace whose stepped contours subtly catch the light.

It retains its baluster-shaped turned walnut side handle.

Mark of the tax farmer Eloy Brichard.

Hallmarks (cover and body):
• Master silversmith: J G V, crowned fleur-de-lys, two remedy grains, a heart, for Jean-Guillaume VÉALLE.
• Charge mark: crowned A, Paris, 1756-1762.
• Guarantee mark: crowned S, Jurande / Maison Commune for Paris, 1758.
• Discharge mark: shell, Paris, 1756-1762 (small silver wares).
• Lyre: later control mark for old precious metal wares, 1780-1789.

Dimensions:
• Height: 28 cm
• Width: 25 cm
• Depth: 15.4 cm

Net weight: 1,055 grams.

Jean-Guillaume VÉALLE is received master in Paris in 1754. Although the exact date of the end of his activity remains unknown, recorded works by the maker are documented until 1761-1762.

Works by VÉALLE are today preserved in important institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Canada and the Petit Palais in Paris, as well as in prestigious private collections, notably those of Anton and Marianne DREESMANN.

Comparable examples, though of more modest dimensions, are preserved in the collections of the Musée du Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Condition report: Superb state of preservation.


During the 18th century, chocolate ranks among the most luxurious beverages consumed by the aristocracy. Particularly appreciated by LOUIS XV, who drinks it daily, it becomes a true symbol of refinement and the French art of living.

The ritual of chocolate service appears in some of the finest genre paintings and interior scenes of the century, notably in PIETRO LONGHI’s The Morning Chocolate, Jean-Baptiste CHARPENTIER’s The Family of the Duke of Penthièvre, and François BOUCHER’s celebrated Le Déjeuner, preserved in the Musée du Louvre, which depicts a chocolate pot closely related to the present model.

Through its particularly generous proportions, the quality of its chasing and the elegance of its design, this chocolate pot perfectly illustrates the production of luxurious Parisian silver under the reign of LOUIS XV. A rare and important work of French silver, both visually striking and historically evocative of aristocratic life in the 18th century.


MUSEUMS, PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND LISTED WORKS

• METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, Snuffer and Tray, silver, Paris, 1758-59. Inv. 48.187.59, .60. Former Catherine D. Wentworth Collection.
• NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA, OTTAWA, Coffee Pot from the Baby Family, silver and wood, Paris, 1755-56. Inv. 49018.
• PETIT PALAIS, MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS DE LA VILLE DE PARIS, PARIS, Beaker, silver, Paris, 1761-1762.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

• BIMBENET-PRIVAT Michèle, Orfèvrerie de la Renaissance et des Temps Modernes, XVIe, XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles. La collection du Musée du Louvre, Faton, Louvre Éditions, 2022.
• HERDA-MOUSSEAUX Rose-Marie, RAMBOURG Patrick, SÉRET Guillaume, Thé, café ou chocolat ? L’essor des boissons exotiques au XVIIIe siècle, Paris Musées, 2015.


EXHIBITIONS

• "Ils donnent : 10 ans de donations, Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs", 20 March – 13 July 1979.
• "Thé, café ou chocolat ? L’essor des boissons exotiques au XVIIIe siècle", Paris, Musée Cognacq-Jay, 27 May – 27 September 2025.