An important cup called "the snakes" made of... Lot 327

An important cup called "the snakes" made of ribboned aragonite, "imperial" purple porphyry, black and white Sinai porphyry or white Carrara marble and very finely chased and gilded bronze. It is circular in shape, with a moulded body, punctuated by fillets or channels, to which are attached handles in the form of double intertwined snakes with finely traced scales whose heads rest on the upper rim of the tazza, whose moulded pedestal is animated by a plain torus and doucine. The whole is supported by a high tripartite architectural base formed by a molded cylinder adorned with putti motifs in the style of François Flamand and a block of porphyry cut into an octagon and punctuated by pilasters centered with Bacchus-headed masks resting on double leonine legs; finally, a molded pedestal with plain panels supports the whole composition. Neoclassical work in the spirit of Luigi Valadier. H: 65-D: 53 cm small chips; the end of the tail of a snake is missing