Surtout de Table (Table centerpiece) Pierre-Philippe Thomire, ca. 1810
Stated to have been a present from Napoleon to his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais, possibly at the time of the latter's wedding, a surtout de table by Thomire appears in the inventory of Eugène's possessions he shipped to Munich after the fall of Napoleon. Thomire produced this large, complex work meant to dazzle with reflected light and candlelight while including classical references that would have been recognized by the important heads of state.
The motifs including swans—popular with Eugène's mother, Josephine—appear in Eugène's house called the Hôtel Beauharnais, suggesting the surtout de table might have been intended for use there. It undoubtedly accompanied Eugène when Napoleon appointed him viceroy of Italy.
Pierre-Philippe Thomire, the designer and maker of this gilt-bronze work, became “Gilt bronze maker to the Emperor” in 1809. He is responsible for several similar examples made for Napoleon to give to his mother, sisters, and a few of his marshals. Recent examinations of Eugène’s inventories have revealed more than one surtout among his possessions.
Source: Cooper Hewitt, SURTOUT DE TABLE: SUSTENANCE OF POLITICAL POWER by Sarah D. Coffin
