Coffeepot
Medium
Silver with ebony handle
Dimensions
Overall (with handle): 11 5/8 × 12 in. (29.5 × 30.5 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1933
Accession Number
33.165.1
Art Historical Context
This elegant coffeepot, crafted in 1757 by François-Thomas Germain, exemplifies the opulence of mid-18th-century French Roc silverwork. Germain, a master silversmith and successor to his renowned father, François-Thomas I, served as the official supplier to the French royal court under Louis XV. Working in Paris, he was celebrated for his intricate designs that blended functionality with lavish ornamentation, often featuring scrolling motifs, shells, and floral elements typical of the Rococo style—a playful reaction to the grandeur of Baroque art. Made of gleaming silver with a finely carved ...