FRANCE, fin du XIXème siècle Important centrepiece in cast and chased silver (950) in the shape of a nave on the waves, with a chimera-headed bow, surmounted by a newt blowing into a conch, and animated by a helmsman putto at the stern, holding the dolphin-shaped rudder. This nave seems to sail on a scrolled oval plateau, forming, above all, a rich decoration of snowdrifts, shells and waterfalls, and resting on six feet, four of which are in engraved scrolls. Lined in silvery metal. Minerva and goldsmith hallmarks: BOULENGER. Total net weight: 11,520 g. Height: 36 cm - Length: 59,5 cm - Width: 34 cm. Wear, scratches and shocks, especially to the lining. Bibliography: A similar nave by the goldsmiths Veuve FLAMENT and Léon CHAMPENOIS, dated 1890-1894, was presented at Sotheby's in Beijing, during the sale of the Koopman collection, on November 27, 2014 (n° 35).