KXRAMIC STUDIO 
No. 26. Pewter Basin "Ma 
' by Francois Bri 
Enderlein. Di; 
t. Louvre Museum. Wrong 
neter .50 centimeters. 
During the thirty years which Francois Briot spent 
in Montbeliard, his time was well employed by commis- 
sions for medals, portraits, etc., which, added to his title 
of engraver to the Prince Regent, Frederick of Wiirtem- 
berg, must have raised him to a relative prosperity. But 
under Prince John Frederick, who succeeded his father, 
a change in Briot 's finances must have taken place al- 
though he did not lose his official position. We find in 
judicial papers the record of a series of lawsuits, instituted 
against him for debts which he seemed unable to pay. 
Little by little, poverty advanced upon him 
and he lost by seizure furniture, materials 
and tools. The inventory of this forced sale 
mentions especially the copper molds of a 
basin and ewer, the magistrate recommend- 
ing that these molds be watched and not in- 
jured in any way. Then, from judgments 
rendered during his absence, we find that 
our poor artist disappeared at times from 
Montbeliard. Where did he go? Where 
did he take refuge? Having no family re- 
quiring his presence, did he seek only to es- 
cape from his many laAvsuits? It appears 
that at every return he brought back some- 
thing with which to satisfy his most press- 
ing debts, since his credit was extended. It 
is probable that, receiving no orders for en- 
graving, or for pewter objects of his design 
(Montbeliard had been ruined by the wars) , 
Briot, who did not do all kinds of work, was 
forced to go elsewhere, that he might gain 
a livelihood. This purpose he could most 
easily accomplish in a center of large pro- 
duction, and the position of Montbeliard, 
on the frontier of Germany, where the pew- 
ter industry flourished, especially at Nurn- 
berg, leads us to believe that our master- 
engraver went to that country in order to 
avail himself of his talents. 
We insist on this point, because there is 
in the Museum of the Louvre another 
large pewter basin in fine condition, hav- 
Mars as its central decorative motif, which 
attributed to Gaspard Fnderlein. This 
man was a rich manufacturer, who could well afford to 
hire as assistant, at a small expense, a poor artist having 
no other capital than his skill. Our technical knowledge 
of pewter enables us to recognize the method of chasing 
peculiar to each craftsman, and to affirm that the pater- 
nity of this work cannot be attributed to Gaspard Fnder- 
lein. The composition in the manner of Etienne Delaune, 
the arrangement of figures, the modeling, the details of 
attributed to Gaspard 
ing the god 
is generally 
No. 27. Stein in Pewter. The figures borrowed from the 
basin "Mars." The allegorical accessories alone, are 
modified. XVI. century. Belongs to J. Brateau. 
No. 28. Salt, cellar in Pewter. Style XVI. century. 
Modern interpretation. Composition of J. Brateau. 
Io. 29. Salt cellar in Pewter. French work 
XVJ. century. Musee Cluny — Paris. 
