Cruet Stand (Huilier) (1766): Art, History and Details

Cruet Stand (Huilier) (1766) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Robert Joseph Auguste (French, 1723–after 1795).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

These bottles would have held oil and vinegar. Their silver stoppers, decorated with grapes and the leaves of vines, hint at their function. Master goldsmith Robert-Joseph Auguste was known for his silverwork in the neoclassical style. This style is present on the supports for these bottles whose stylized columns and scrollwork pull inspiration from the art of classical antiquity.

Object facts

• Title: Cruet Stand (Huilier)
• Date: 1766
• Creator attribution: Robert Joseph Auguste (French, 1723–after 1795)
• Culture: France
• Type: Silver
• Technique: silver and glass
• Dimensions: Overall: 20.8 x 14.6 cm (8 3/16 x 5 3/4 in.)
• Collection: Decorative Arts
• Department: Decorative Art and Design
• Accession number: 1969.27

A detail from the museum

In 1778, Robert-Joseph Auguste received the title orfèvre ordinaire du roi, becoming the principal goldsmith for the royal court of King Louis XVI.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.