A gold and hardstone vinaigrette, Adrien-Jean-Maximilien Vachette, Paris, 1809-1819, and a jewelled gold and enamel pocket watch, late 18th century

Marie-Étienne Nitot was, in his heyday, one of the most sought-after jewellers in Paris. He was initially an apprentice to Ange-Joseph Aubert, the official jeweller to Marie Antionette. In 1780 he founded his own firm which went on to become the House of Chaumet. The firm was regarded as one of the most well-respected orfèvres-joailliers-bijoutiers in Paris and still exists to this day. After the 1789 French Revolution he became the official jeweller to Napoleon Bonaparte. His early commissions included Napoleon’s coronation sword and Pope Pius VII’s tiara, presented to the Pope during Napoleon’s coronation in 1804. Following Nitot’s death, the firm was taken over by his son, François-Regnault – likely the ’fils’ in the present inscription. It was he that moved the House of Chaumet to the luxurious Place-Vendôme. Like the other famous jewellers and retailers at the time, commissions sometimes included objects requiring the art of the enameller or the lapidary for which the firm of Nitot was often obliged to rely upon outworkers. Thus for snuff boxes, Nitot & fils used goldsmiths such as Adrien-Jean-Maximilien Vachette or Pierre-André Montauban to fulfill their client’s wishes (see also Haydn Williams, Enamels of the World 1700-2000, The Khalili Collections, London, 2009, p. 34). This explains why the present lot is signed by Nitot & fils as well as stamped with the hallmark of the eminent Parisian goldsmith Adrien-Jean-Maximilien Vachette (1753 - 1839).