Standing cup

Jean-Valentin Morel

1850–51 · Rock crystal, silver gilt, enamel, pearls · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Romantic historicism was one of many nineteenth-century revival styles, and Morel was unsurpassed in his skill in fashioning hard stones, enameling, and an eclectic assortment of decorative motifs into highly refined evocations of seventeenth-century goldsmiths' work. Trained under the pre-Revolution maker of gold boxes Adrien Vachette (act. 1779–1839), Morel is a direct link to the long history of French jewelers and goldsmiths. Morel practiced in Paris for many years before moving to London in 1848, following the adverse settlement of a business dispute (an expatriation that lasted until 1852, when he returned to France). In London he established a workshop staffed by more than fifty craftsmen and enjoyed the patronage of Queen Victoria and the exiled Louis-Philippe. The culmination of Morel's London career was his display at the Great Exhibition of 1851, at which he showed jewelry, silver sculpture, and numerous neo-Renaissance cups. Our example, made in London, was among them. From illustrations of the time, and again in 1910, when the cup was in J. Pierpont Morgan's collection, we discover it had a cover and has lost some enameled ornament; it nonetheless conveys the elegance typical of Morel's best work.

Artist

Jean-Valentin Morel

Date

1850–51

Medium

Rock crystal, silver gilt, enamel, pearls

Culture

French

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Gifts, 1997