French .950 silver cruet stand by Henri Soufflot, Minerva 1
A French .950 silver cruet stand, Minerva 1 standard, with maker's mark for Henri Soufflot the pierced central stem with palmette, C-scrolls and handle with urn finial, issuing side holders and flanked by two ovoid rocaille baskets (lacks bottles), on a shaped rococo base with scrolling rocaille edges and raised on scrolling feet, marked to the underside. Weight 621g height 9.06 in., length 11.81 in., width 5.51 in.
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- Oviform /ovoid - The outline loosely resembling the shape of an egg.
- Palmette - A decorative motif used in the decoration of ceramics, textiles and furniture, based loosely on the palm leaf and sometimes used with the anthemion, from which it is often difficult to distinguish. The form of the palmette varies from ornate to simplistic.
- Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.
Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins.
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