Exhibition labels & didactics - National Gallery of Victoria

184
Martin-Guillaume BIENNAIS silversmith
French 1764–1843
Necessities kit belonging to the
Duchess of Otranto
Nécessaire de voyage de la
duchesse d’Otrante
1815
Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), silver-gilt, Ebony
(Diospyros sp.), gold, ivory, crystal, leather, bronze and brass
Fondation Napoléon, Paris
Donation Lapeyre inv. 566
Biennais specialised in making compact
transportable caskets in rare woods,
hollowed out from one piece. His virtuosity
revealed itself in his creation of dozens of
small objects that joined together into a
complex jigsaw, and in clever combinations
of extremely diverse materials: gold, silver,
silver-gilt, copper, steel, mother-of-pearl,
ivory, tortoiseshell, crystal, wood, velvet and
leather. Only Napoleon and the highest
members of Imperial society could afford
such sumptuous nécessaires. This mahogany
casket contains seventy-five objects.
A drawer on one side pulls out to reveal
a portable writing desk.
(Please note, a longer version of the film displayed here, showing the unpacking of this
nécessaire, is available on the NGV’s Napoleon website at ngv.vic.gov.au/napoleon)
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