by Claire Papon
Alphonse Debain (1883-1911), molten vermeil teapot decorated with vine stocks, wheat ears, vine shoots, leaves, pumpkin-shaped body, spout featuring a snail, 1900, h. 19.1 cm/7.5 in, weight 1363 g/47 oz. Estimate: €8,000/10,000
We don't know if this is a unique piece, even if no other example is listed. Will it be preempted by the Musée d'Orsay? It deserves to be. The only existing record of this object is the photo in which it appears above a display cabinet of Alphonse Debain's company during the Universal Exhibition of 1900. read more...