Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843)

Napoleon I's goldsmith created this vermeil ewer and basin for Joachim Murat, based on a design by Charles Percier.

Over 150 pieces coming from the descendants of one of Martin-Guillaume Biennais' daughters are up for sale, ranging from silverware to goldwork and sculptures.

Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843) promoted French imperial propaganda, notably through his "Napoléonides" series. Several previously unknown pieces will be revealed at the sale of a group of works hailing from the artist's descendants.

Among the silver pieces presented on Monday, August 1, in Morlaix - Saint-Martin-des-Champs, at the Dupont & Associés OVV sale, the box containing a silver coffee pot and its milk jug by the renowned silversmith and goldsmith Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843) is certainly the highlight.

This group by the leading goldsmith of the First Empire roundly topped its estimates, with international private and institutional buyers crossing swords.

A style described by Gustave Flaubert as "imposing and diplomatic" in L’Éducation sentimentale.

A Spanish religious scene triumphed at a “Prestige" sale, followed by jewelry from the finest Parisian houses.

In 1885 French artist Henri Martin discovered Venice. From this point forward the city of the Doges became a recurring theme in the painter's career, capturing its glittering colors and the majesty of its palaces.

Now acclaimed as a first-class landscape painter with a free pointillist style, Martin is still even more admired for his Symbolist compositions.

Paris's oldest museum has reopened in a completely refurbished building, where the collections are now strikingly set off. For its director, both everything and nothing has changed at the Carnavalet.