Chalice
1939
Medium
silver, silver-gilt, ivory
Measurements
17.5 × 15.3 cm diameter
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1952
© Jean Puiforcat/ADAGP, Paris. Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Jean E. Puiforcat influenced French silverwork more than any other designer of the twentieth century. Born into a silversmithing family, he entered the family workshop at an early age. During the early 1920s he experimented while working towards his goal of producing simple, perfectly formed tablewares in a modernist style. In 1925 Puiforcat exhibited at that year’s Paris International Exhibition and was hailed overnight as the major French silver designer of his time.
During the 1920s Puiforcat became increasingly interested in complicated mathematical formulae, particularly the golden section, for achieving precisely calculated geometric volumes. He meticulously documented his designs through diagrams showing the mathematical composition of anobject. The NGV’s Trace harmonique shows a design for a ciborium, or liturgical lidded goblet. In the 1930s Puiforcat moved away from squared, angular designs and employed more curves and circles, such as the Gallery’s Coffee pot and Centrepiece. Both of these works were exhibited at the 1937 Paris International Exhibition. Puiforcat’s genius was to make a cool, calculated aesthetic into a supremely sensual work. His progressive, pure forms in highly polished silver, often incorporating rare woods and exotic materials, appeal as much to the intellect as they do to the senses.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Paris, France
Inscription
punched in inside rim of base: JEAN PUIFORCAT PARIS 1939
punched in outside of upper rim: E (penknife) P (Mercury's head)
Accession Number
1135-D4
Department
International Decorative Arts
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Physical description
Conical foot, silver-gilt stem and four ribs on bowl and foot, node of four ivory doves.