An absolute masterpiece of French decorative art enters the Musée d’Orsay

2/2/24 - Acquisition - Paris, Musée d’Orssay - We admired it at Sotheby’s New York and hoped that the Musée d’Orsay would be able to acquire it, without really believing it because of its estimate. However, the Musée Orsay won the wonderful cup (ill. 1) we reproduced in our article on American sales, for $2,117,000 (including fees): It’s rare to see a French museum make such a handsome acquisition abroad, when they often only know how to mobilize when the work is already in France.

The Hope Cup, despite being a masterpiece of the decorative arts under the Second Empire, had…