Warming Dish
Martin-Guillaume Biennais
c. 1794–1819
Medium
Gilt silver and gilt copper
Dimensions
27.9 × 20.3 cm (11 × 8 in.); 27.4 × 27.4 × 25.1 cm (10 3/4 × 10 3/4 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
dish (vessel)
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
25112
About the Artist
Martin-Guillaume Biennais · 1764–1843
Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764–1843) was the most celebrated goldsmith and silversmith of the Napoleonic era, a craftsman whose work in precious metals became synonymous with the taste and grandeur of the First Empire. Beginning his career as a toy-maker and lacquer merchant, he made the remarkable transition to goldsmithing in the 1790s, establishing himself in Paris and rapidly attracting the p...