Pair Of Louis XVI-style Casserole Dishes, Green Marble And Gilded Bronze, 19th Century

Pair of green marble cassolettes with gilded bronze mounts. The stone has a dark green base color with light, wavy veins; because of this pattern, it is often called sea green.

The slender, urn-shaped body rests on a wreath of leaves and extends into a turned baluster foot, set on a square marble base with a beaded border. The lids are removable.

The bronze mounts are finely chiseled: on the shoulders are two masks of Bacchantes with hair intertwined with flowers—a motif that Classicism borrowed from ancient urns, where masks and garlands served as vase decorations. A sculpted floral garland stretches between the masks. The neck is adorned with an openwork circular frieze and a band of leaves, and the whole is crowned by a lid featuring a calyx of leaves and a pinecone.

Use

Cassolettes were originally used as perfume containers. Incense, scented tablets, or aromatic essences were placed inside; the openwork circular frieze on the neck allowed the scent to escape. They were arranged in pairs on mantelpieces, consoles, or chests of drawers—serving both as a source of fragrance and as decorative objects.

Condition

The marble is intact, with no cracks or restorations. The cassolettes have been cleaned and are in their original condition.

Dimensions and Craftsmanship

• Height: 44 cm
• Diameter: 16 cm
• Material: green marble (sea green), gilded bronze
• Decoration: masks of Bacchantes, floral garlands, openwork circular frieze, pearls, pine cones
• Features: removable lids
• Quantity: pair
• Era: Louis XVI
• Date of creation: 19th century
• Condition: original condition, cleaned; marble intact, no cracks, no restorations