MARK OF FRANCOIS JOUBERT, PARIS, 1776

The teapot is applied on two sides with finely chased medallions depicting a popular subject of the period, Autel de l'Amitié, which refers to Madame de Pompadour's cult of friendship, which she promoted after 1754, following her separation with the King. The composition was originally created by François Boucher (1703-1770) and subsequently widely popularised through engravings by Demarteau and Lalive de Jully.

This type of plaque was usually produced by chasers for gold snuff-boxes. The Almanach Dauphin records twenty chasers working in Paris between 1769 and 1777, amongst them are Robert-Joseph Auguste, Gérard Debèche, Hauer, Hurter, Laurant and Vanot. However, only the work of three has been clearly identified: Auguste and the Debèche father and son. Gérard Debèche fils worked mostly with gold box makers such as Drais having made for example the panels ‘ciselés après l’antique' on a box supplied by Drais for Marie-Antoinette's corbeille de marriage in 1770. Robert-Joseph Auguste on the other hand was an accomplished goldsmith who, although never officially apprenticed, worked with several goldsmiths learning different skills, from silversmithing and gold box making to chasing. One of Auguste most noticeable piece of chasing are the panels on a gold and cinnabar-red lacquer snuffbox dated 1770 in the Gilbert Collection, London, which uses similar themes to this teapot of putti at play.

Examples of plaques used on silver objects are rare, perhaps the most important one is Gustave III pair of tureens and pot à oille, also by Robert-Joseph Auguste dated 1775-1776 given to the King of France by the Count of Greutz, Swedish ambassador to to the French Court, which are adorned with gold panels depicting the king accession to power, possibly after design by Augustin Pajou.