Cylindrical with gadrooned rim and raised on three lion paw feet headed by anthemion, with ebonized baluster-form handle tipped with mother-of-pearl, the low domed covers with acorn finial centering a ring of stiff leaves and pomegranates, engraved on the cover and front of body with the Borghese coat-of-arms, marked on underside and flange of cover
5¹⁄₈ in. (13 cm.) long, over handle
9 oz. 2 dwt. (283 gr.) gross weight

Possibly sold as part of a group of seven cassolettes from the collection of Mrs. Edith Rockefeller McCormick, American Art Association, Anderson Galleries Inc, New York, 5 January 1934, lot 706.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, Paris, 8 November 2012, lot 177.

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Lot Essay

The Borghese Service, comprising 500 silver-gilt objects primarily by the French Imperial silversmith Martin-Guillaume Biennais and over 1,000 pieces of table silver, was traditionally thought to have been a gift from Napoleon to his second sister Pauline Bonaparte (1780-1825) on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Camillo Borghese (1775-1832) in 1803. However, Biennais inscribed a number of pieces "Orfèvre de Lrs. Mtés. Impériales et Royales" indicating that most of the service post-dates 1805, when Napoleon was styled King of Italy. In addition, many of the French pieces have Paris hallmarks for 1809-1819. The service, which was probably split between Rome and Florence during the lifetime of Pauline and Camillo Borghese, was reunited at the Borghese Palace by 1892, when it was sold as one lot at the auction which dispersed the entire contents of the Palace.