Michel-Barnabé Chauvaux
Michel-Barnabé Chauvaux aîné (also known as Chauveaux, active c. 1753–88) was a “gilder and painter of ornaments” (Tardy 1981, 533). His mark was a series of cross-hatched lines, which are visible in Slide 56_Mark (below the three dots, which is the painter’s mark for Jean-Baptiste Tandart aîné).
Chauvaux started working at the factory in October 1752, when he was 24 years old. He was described as “talking quickly” and was known to “play the flute nicely” (Sassoon 1991, 198; Savill 1988, 3:1020–21).
His work can be seen on a plate (assiette) from the Catherine the Great Service (1782, slide 56). This is part of a celebrated dinner- and dessert-service commissioned in 1776 by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. At the center of the plate is Catherine’s monogram (E II). Find more details on the Catherine the Great Service on this page of the exhibit.
References: Savill 1988, 3:1020–21; Tardy 1981, 533; Eriksen and De Bellaigue 1987, 154 no. 186, 172; Sassoon 1991, 198, 201n23.