Phot. W. Holnicki; Click to see more

A unique coffee and tea set made of gold plated silver upon the request of Aleksandra Engelhardt, wife of Hetman Franciszek Ksawery Branicki, for the family residence of the Branickis in Biała Cerkiew. Commissioned in the workshop of the celebrated goldsmith Jean Baptiste Claude Odiot, the most eminent representative of the highly esteemed family of Parisian goldsmiths active since 1690. In 1785 Odiot was granted the title of master and took over the family firm specialising in the production of silverware. The workshop realised predominantly commissions made by Emperor Napoleon I, his family and the wealthiest European courts, especially the Russian court. The drawings and projects were made by the master himself, and the best ones were copied for many years. While designing the most important commissions Jean Baptiste Claude Odiot cooperated with such masters as the painter Pierre-Paul Prud`hon, J. M. Moreau, Cavelier or the bronzier P. P. Thomire. A distinguishing feature of the workshop production were contrasts between smooth surfaces  and the decorative, outright jewellery-like finish. Special mastery was achieved in affixing decorations onto the surface of the vessels with the aid of screws and nuts, a technique that Odiot perfected.