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The coffer is a key item in any study of French silverware and European collecting. Initially part of Cardinal Mazarin’s collection, on his death it was sold at auction, subsequently being acquired by the Grand Dauphin. The gold crafting links this piece to a group of works associated with the so-called Maestro of Dragons, Pierre Delabarre, a Parisian silversmith who qualified as a master craftsma
This flask is one of a pair (I-1399). It was wrongly thought lost in 1815, and the other flask it formed a pair with was stolen in 1918. It has an agate body and enamelled gold mounts whose upper part is formed by three S-shaped handles and hanging garnets, two of which had been lost. It formed part of the French Royal Collection, probably since the times of Francis I (1494-1547). After its return
