Small Jewelry Box

between 1738 and 1739

Etienne Pollet French, active 1715 - 1751

On View

Fashionable Living: Kanzler Room, Level 3, South Wing

Small Jewelry Box: 1 of Collection Gallery

Small Jewelry Box: 2 of Collection Gallery

Small Jewelry Box: 3 of Collection Gallery

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Provenance

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About the Artwork

The Toilet Service of the Portuguese Duchess of Cadaval (DIA 53.177-192) is arguably the piece-de-resistance of the museum's holding in French eighteenth century silver. Formerly owned by Elizabeth Parke Firestone, in 1953 she donated this Louis XV service to the DIA. It is the earliest one of five eighteenth-century French toilet services that survive almost intact: the warming pan, the spittoon, and pair of paste pots are no longer extant, perhaps lost in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. In view of its immense historical significance, the DIA was fortunate in 2012 to acquire an orphan piece of the service - one of a pair of small silver boxes that was in a private collection. The acquisition of the small box completes the service to the best of our knowledge and makes it even more remarkable.

Title Small Jewelry Box

Artwork Date between 1738 and 1739

Artist Etienne Pollet

Life Dates active 1715 - 1751

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. French

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Silver

Dimensions Overall: 3 3/8 × 7 × 4 1/2 inches (8.6 × 17.8 × 11.4 cm)

Classification Silver

Department European Sculpture and Dec Arts

Credit Museum Purchase, Jill Ford Murray Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2012.73

Markings

Marks Marks: [three various marks, including crowned Y] Marks, engraved on top: [coat of arms of the Duke of Cadaval]

Provenance

ca. 1738, probably commissioned by Jaime de Mello, 3rd Duke of Cadaval, or by Louis of Lorraine, prince de Lambesc;
May 1739, Henriette-Julie-Gabrielle de Lorraine, Duchesse de Cadaval [1724-1761];
by descent to the family of the Dukes of Cadaval (Lisbon, Portugal);
1931, sold by 9th Duke of Cadaval;
1931, acquired by (Jacques Helft, Paris, France);
Patricia Lopez-Wilshaw (Buenos Aires, Argentina);
October 3, 2012, sold by (Christie's, Paris, France) lot 39;
2012-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

Please note: This section is empty

The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Published References

Fregnac, C., ed. Les grands orvèvres de Louis XII à Charles X. Paris, 1965, pp. 136-137.

Darr, Alan Phipps, Yao-Fen You, and Megan Reddicks. “Recent Acquisitions (2007–15) of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the Detroit Institute of Arts.” The Burlington Magazine 158 (June 2016): pp. 501-512; p. 506 (ill.).

Kindly share your feedback or any additional information, as this record is still a work in progress and may need further refinement.

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