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Carrara marble mantel with Vulcan's forge cartouche

Of Neoclassical inspiration this white mantel allies the simplicity of Louis XVI style lines and Renaissance motifs. This mixture of styles is typical of the 19th century. The jambs are entirely decorated in the grotesque mode : cups and bouquets of fruits and flowers create vertical decoration. Interlaced acanthus leaf swirls run across the entablature; a cartouche carved in bas relief is placed at the center of this frieze representing men working in a forge dressed in antique togas. The reference of this scene is probably to Vulcan’s forge, a very popular decorative motif in the arts. However such iconography is rare and therefore precious in a mantel. The floral and antique themes are typical of the Louis XVI style.

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Two-footed earthenware washbasin

Two-legged earthenware washbasin dating from the 1950s.

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Pair of cast iron and polished bronze andirons

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The Oration of Mark Antony, second half of the 19th century

This painting, depicting Marc Antony’s funeral oration over the body of Julius Caesar, was executed in the second half of the 19th century, after 1879. The scene of this painting takes place in the days following Caesar’s assassination in 44 B.C.E. Around twenty conspiratorial senators had struck him down with their weapons. In the aftermath of the event, Rome descended into turmoil. While the Senate sought to preserve peace, Caesar’s funeral, depicted here, only added to the public disorder: initially, the people seemed inclined to align with the conspirators, but the public display of Caesar’s body, Marc Antony’s speech, and the reading of the late consul’s will turned the tide. This is the moment shown in the painting, recounted by various ancient authors, including Suetonius and Appian of Alexandria, as well as by Shakespeare. The imposing architectural setting is structured by a grand staircase and monumental columns, symbolizing both the might of the Roman Empire and Caesar’s authority at its helm. The funeral bed occupies a central place, bearing an inanimate body, pale yet dignified. The grieving populace, gathered to mourn the great man, forms a long diagonal line that fades into the shadowy background, suggesting an endless crowd. The variety of figures, their number, and the diversity of gestures and expressions represent the entirety of the Roman people, come to pay homage to the consul. On the right, Marc Antony raises Caesar’s bloodstained toga. The scene seems drawn from Shakespeare’s tragedy, in which Marc Antony descends from his platform to invite the people to gather around Caesar for the reading of his will. Suetonius, meanwhile, describes Caesar’s funeral pyre erected in the Field of Mars: the body is laid on an “ivory bier draped in purple and gold” alongside the “garments he wore when he was killed.” The painter carefully portrays the “procession of all those wishing to bring offerings.” Appian of Alexandria adds the detail of Piso, Caesar’s executor, who insisted on making the will and the funeral public. Piso may be the figure descending the steps in the upper right, holding a parchment scroll. According to Appian, after Caesar’s body was carried to the Forum, Marc Antony read aloud his decrees and, overcome with grief, “unveiled Caesar’s body, displayed his robe... torn by dagger blows and still stained with blood.” Although the painter embraces pathos, he refrains from depicting Caesar’s face disfigured by wounds, as described in Plutarch’s account. Beyond the architectural details and textual fidelity, the artist’s taste for historicism is evident in the inclusion of incense burners and the meticulous rendering of garments. According to ancient sources, the tumult caused by Caesar’s funeral was so great that it culminated in the creation of a spontaneous pyre, as the crowd could not agree on another location and the risk of fire was lessened in the Forum. The people then sought to avenge Caesar by setting fire to the homes of the conspirators. The moment depicted is thus a pivotal one: between approval of the assassins and mourning, and between mourning and vengeance, embodying a peak of tension and emotional expressiveness. The renowned German history painter Karl von Piloty created an Assassination of Julius Caesar that might be considered a prelude to this work. Though less famous than the assassination of Julius Caesar, the subject of Marc Antony’s oration saw renewed interest in the 19th century. For instance, Georg Edward Robertson (1864-1926) created a Funeral Oration of Marc Antony Over the Body of Caesar around 1894-1895, now held in the Hartlepool Museums’ collections. Its composition features similar elements to this painting: an imposing architectural framework evocative of ancient Rome; the mourning crowd; the body laid out for all to see; and Marc Antony, advocating for Caesar and his cause against that of the tyrannicides. This monumental work thus captures a lesser-known but equally fertile subject, rich in expressiveness and historical representation, deeply rooted in the century of its creation.

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B&Cie (porcelain), Charles POYARD (stamper), Félix FLICK (painter), Ornamental Dish With Portrait of a Berber Woman in its Wooden Frame, 1878

This faience dish was crafted by the B&Cie factory in Montereau, while its design was conceived and painted by Félix Flick; Charles Poyard likely contributed to the enameling. This beautiful portrait depicts a Berber woman in a bust, shown frontally. Her gaze does not meet that of the viewer, enhancing the mystery surrounding her. The woman’s features and fair complexion could belong to a European, as was often the case during this period, but her accessories identify her as Berber. Her forehead is adorned with a diadem featuring multiple golden pendants, securing a white veil that covers her hair. Her earrings echo the motif of the pendants, as does her necklace, which is further embellished with crescent moons. The Oriental woman’s deep blue dress, which resonates with the background color of the portrait, is overlaid with a drape of shining white and gold. The dish is set in a wooden frame whose ornamentation complements and enriches that of the plate itself. The engraved low-relief scrolls culminate in palmettes, while the four corners are adorned with flowers whose petals and centers are highlighted with gold. The circular shape of the dish is emphasized by a partially gilded ring. The dish is signed by both its creators within the decoration, as well as on the reverse, where it is also dated and bears the impressed mark used by the Creil and Montereau factory between 1876 and 1884. Félix Flick, a painter from Metz (1852–?), exhibited his work at Parisian Salons between 1876 and 1882. He primarily painted historical or Orientalist subjects on faience, as exemplified by this dish. The Montereau faience factory was founded in 1749 by Etienne François Mazois. It merged with the Creil faience factory in 1840, leading to the creation of the “Creil et Montereau” mark and the receipt of numerous awards and medals. Following a fire in 1895, only the Montereau site remained operational. In 1920, the group was acquired by the Choisy-le-Roi factory, before finally closing its doors in 1955. The name of Charles Poyard, though obscure, is mainly associated with the title of “estampeur” (engraver), thanks to two advertising tokens preserved at the Carnavalet Museum. The collaboration between Flick and Charles Poyard produced several Orientalist or historicist portraits similar to the one in question. One such example, also dated 1878, was auctioned at Artcurial in 2016. It portrays a turbaned man with upturned eyes, framed within a yellow border adorned with abstract Orientalist motifs.