Studio: international art (84.1922)

STUDIO-TALK

SILVER SUGAR BASIN WITH
HANDLES AND FLOWER IN LAPIS
LAZULI. BY JEAN PUIFORCAT

(Bought for the Museum of French
Art, Montreal)

the last Salon des Artistes Decorateurs
were the purchases for the Museum of
French Art at Montreal. One of these
was a silver breakfast set with lapis lazuli
handles and ornaments, of fine, robust
and simple design, by M. Jean Puiforcat, a
newcomer and quite a junior in this
group. The artist is a son of M. E.
Puiforcat, one of France's most famous
goldsmiths, and before attempting design
he worked on the apprentice's bench side
by side with his father's workmen, thus be-

coming thoroughly conversant with the
secrets of the craft to whose requirements
and possibilities all innovation should be
subordinated. He had, moreover, ex-
ceptional opportunities to cultivate pecu-
liar connoisseurship, his father owning
the finest collection of antique gold and
silver French plate in existence, forming
a veritable museum in his Rue Chapon
warehouses, the collection comprising
specimens which belonged to the French
court and nobility, to Napoleon L, and
to the Court of Portugal, of unique beauty
and value, by master craftsmen from the
time of Louis XIII. to the First Empire.
To this technical experience M. Jean
Puiforcat adds that artistic inspiration and
personal manner of handling which are
expressive of the talent for sculpture he
manifests more freely on occasion. The
little floral ornaments in his breakfast set
and in other of his designs exhibited from
time to time at the Salon d'Automne and
the Pavilion de Marsan are the work of a
modeller by nature. M. C.

PITTSBURGH, U.S.A.—Limited this
year to one contribution from each
painter represented, the Twenty-first In-
ternational Exhibition at the Carnegie
Institute (April 27th to June 15th) included

SILVER BREAKFAST SERVICE WITH
LAPIS LAZULI ORNAMENTS. DESIGNED
AND EXECUTED BY JEAN PUIFORCAT

(Artistes Decorateurs' Salon, 1922. Bought
for Museum of French Art. Montreal)

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