Jacques-Nicolas Roettiers
Encyclopedia
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
and silversmith
Silversmith
A silversmith is a craftsperson who makes objects from silver or gold. The terms 'silversmith' and 'goldsmith' are not synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product varies greatly as does the scale of objects created.Silversmithing is the...
active in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and, in concert with his father, said to be the most fashionable Parisian silversmith of his day.
Roettiers was the son of distinguished silversmith Jacques Roettiers
Jacques Roettiers
Jacques Roettiers was a noted engraver in England and France, and one of the most celebrated Parisian goldsmiths and silversmiths of his day....
, and descended from an illustrious line of goldsmiths, medallists, and engravers to the king since the 17th century. He became a master in 1765, and was active until 1777.
Today Roettiers is perhaps best known for the Orloff Service, 1770–71, created for Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
, portions of which are now preserved in Les Arts Décoratifs
Les Arts Décoratifs
Les Arts Décoratifs is a private, non-profit museum of decorative arts located in Paris, France.The museum dates to 1882, when collectors with an interest in the applied arts formed the initial organization. For many years it was known as the Union centrale des Arts décoratifs , but in December...
(Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
(New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
).