Box in the form of a cat

Box in the form of a cat by Luc Bouillerot|Saint-Cloud factory

Medium

Soft-paste porcelain, silver

Dimensions

2 × 2 3/4 in. (5.1 × 7 cm)

Classification

Ceramics-Porcelain

Culture

French, Saint-Cloud with Paris mounts

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973

Accession Number

1974.356.550

Tags

Cats

Art Historical Context

Nestled in the whimsical world of 18th-century French decorative, *Box in the Form of a Cat* (ca. 1738) exemplifies the playful ingenuity of the Saint-Cloud factory. Crafted by Luc Bouillerot, a skilled artisan at this pioneering manufactory, the petite box—measuring just 2 × 2 3/4 inches—takes the form of a crouching cat, its soft-paste porcelain body vividly modeled and painted with lifelike fur and alert features. Delicate silver mounts from Paris add a touch of opulent gleam, transforming it into a coveted trinket or snuffbox for the elite. Saint-Cloud, established around 1690 near Paris,...

About the Artist

Luc Bouillerot|Saint-Cloud factory ( |French) · 1690 |1693 1748 |1766

master 1720, died between 1742–48|French, mid-1690s–1766

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