Henri Auguste
Encyclopedia
Henri Auguste was a leading Parisian gold- and silversmith, working in the neoclassical style
. In cooperation with the sculptor Jean Guillaume Moitte
, who provided him with designs and models, he became one of the leading designers of Empire style in orfèvrerie, a rival of Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot
and Martin-Guillaume Biennais.
He was the only son of the royal goldsmith Robert-Joseph Auguste
(1723–1805), whose workshop he assumed in 1784–85. He continued to receive official patronage under Louis XVI
from 1784 onwards and also from Napoleon, as well as from the City of Paris, which commissioned a vast silver service in 1804, in connection with the coronation of Napoleon
; of the service that comprised 425 pieces, most were melted down under Charles X
; of the remainder, 24 pieces are exhibited in the Salle à manger, Château de Malmaison
. Among his private patrons was [William Beckford
, who was introduced to the work of Moitte and Auguste in Portugal, where he viewed the toilette of Madame d'Aranda in 1787, "by far the most exquisite chef d'oeuvre of the kind I ever saw"; between 1788 and 1802 Beckford acquired four ewers from Auguste, one of them gold, the others silver-gilt; two of them were accompanied by basins.
Auguste received a gold medal in the 3rd Exposition d'industrie, Paris, 1802. He was declared bankrupt in 1806, however, and, though he was given a period of time in which to order his affairs, was caught at Dieppe in 1809 with 94 packing cases, containing some silver, scientific instruments, and furniture) attempting to flee to England and was adjudged a fraudulent bankrupt. He fled successfully to England in 1809. In 1810 his rival Odiot acquired a number of drawings from his workshop, including one for a wine cooler from the City of Paris banquet service, attributed to Moitte and bearing Odiot's collection mark, now at the J. Paul Getty Museum
. He died in Jamaica in 1816.
A silver-gilt tureen and stand, made by Auguste for Tommaso Somma, marchese di Circello, 1787, was purchased for the Royal Collection in 1801.
A family portrait, Famille de l'orfèvre Henri Auguste réunie autour d'un table, painted by Gérard François Pascal Simon, 1798, shows the fashionably-dressed couple and their two young sons, grouped around a table in the light of a shaded lamp.
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
. In cooperation with the sculptor Jean Guillaume Moitte
Jean Guillaume Moitte
- Life :Moitte was the sculptor of Pigalle then Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. He won the Prix de Rome for sculpture in 1768 with David carrying the head of Goliath in triumph...
, who provided him with designs and models, he became one of the leading designers of Empire style in orfèvrerie, a rival of Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot
Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot
Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot was a French silversmith working in a neoclassical style.-Business:Maison Odiot, in English "House of Odiot", was established in 1690, during the reign of Louis XV by Jean-Baptiste Gaspard Odiot, considered a fine silversmith.Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte gave Jean-Baptiste...
and Martin-Guillaume Biennais.
He was the only son of the royal goldsmith Robert-Joseph Auguste
Robert-Joseph Auguste
Robert-Joseph Auguste was a sculptor and royal goldsmith to Louis XV and Louis XVI of France, whose coronation crown he made. Without a formal apprenticeship, Auguste was enabled to pursue his vocation by royal license, as an artist suivant le cour: he was often commissioned for works by the...
(1723–1805), whose workshop he assumed in 1784–85. He continued to receive official patronage under Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
from 1784 onwards and also from Napoleon, as well as from the City of Paris, which commissioned a vast silver service in 1804, in connection with the coronation of Napoleon
Coronation of Napoleon I
The coronation of Napoleon I as Emperor of the French, which took place on Sunday December 2, 1804 , has been said to mark "the instantiation of modern empire", representing "transparently masterminded piece of modern propaganda"...
; of the service that comprised 425 pieces, most were melted down under Charles X
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
; of the remainder, 24 pieces are exhibited in the Salle à manger, Château de Malmaison
Château de Malmaison
The Château de Malmaison is a country house in the city of Rueil-Malmaison about 12 km from Paris.It was formerly the residence of Joséphine de Beauharnais, and with the Tuileries, was from 1800 to 1802 the headquarters of the French government.-History:Joséphine de Beauharnais bought the...
. Among his private patrons was [William Beckford
William Thomas Beckford
William Thomas Beckford , usually known as William Beckford, was an English novelist, a profligate and consummately knowledgeable art collector and patron of works of decorative art, a critic, travel writer and sometime politician, reputed to be the richest commoner in England...
, who was introduced to the work of Moitte and Auguste in Portugal, where he viewed the toilette of Madame d'Aranda in 1787, "by far the most exquisite chef d'oeuvre of the kind I ever saw"; between 1788 and 1802 Beckford acquired four ewers from Auguste, one of them gold, the others silver-gilt; two of them were accompanied by basins.
Auguste received a gold medal in the 3rd Exposition d'industrie, Paris, 1802. He was declared bankrupt in 1806, however, and, though he was given a period of time in which to order his affairs, was caught at Dieppe in 1809 with 94 packing cases, containing some silver, scientific instruments, and furniture) attempting to flee to England and was adjudged a fraudulent bankrupt. He fled successfully to England in 1809. In 1810 his rival Odiot acquired a number of drawings from his workshop, including one for a wine cooler from the City of Paris banquet service, attributed to Moitte and bearing Odiot's collection mark, now at the J. Paul Getty Museum
J. Paul Getty Museum
The J. Paul Getty Museum, a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, is an art museum. It has two locations, one at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, and one at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California...
. He died in Jamaica in 1816.
A silver-gilt tureen and stand, made by Auguste for Tommaso Somma, marchese di Circello, 1787, was purchased for the Royal Collection in 1801.
A family portrait, Famille de l'orfèvre Henri Auguste réunie autour d'un table, painted by Gérard François Pascal Simon, 1798, shows the fashionably-dressed couple and their two young sons, grouped around a table in the light of a shaded lamp.