Set of Berry Spoons, from a Service Made for Pauline Bonaparte and Prince Camillo Borghese
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1789–1820
This flatware entry comprises berry spoons crafted from gilded silver, originally part of a large dining service. Each spoon measures 14.3 cm (5 5/8 in.) in height and features an elongated stem broadening toward the rounded terminal end, attached to a distinctively contoured, shovel-like or rectangular bowl with raised edges.
The spoons were produced in Paris between 1789 and 1820. They are attributed to French goldsmiths and silversmiths Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764–1843) and Pierre-Benoît Lorillon (1757–1816). The handles display detailed decorative ornamentation engraved or chased along the shafts and terminals, reflecting French neoclassical metalwork.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
These berry spoons were part of an extensive service created for Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister Pauline upon her marriage to Roman nobleman Camillo Borghese, Sixth Prince of Sulmona. Following the French Revolution, designers embraced the classical language of ancient Greece and Rome to reflect the imperial order, and Napoleon commissioned several luxury silver dinner services as diplomatic and familial gifts.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Gilded silver
- Dimensions
- H.: 14.3 cm (5 5/8 in.)
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Martin-Guillaume Biennais, French, 1764-1843, Pierre-Benoît Lorillon, French, 1757-1816, Paris, France
- Place recorded
- Paris
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Art Institute of Chicago collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Set of Berry Spoons (2), from a Service Made for Pauline Bonaparte and Prince Camillo Borghese
- Museum object number
- 1966.122k-l
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.