19th Century Clock in Gilt Bronze with a Porcelain Plate from Sévres
About the Item
- Creator:Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)Width: 13 in (33 cm)Depth: 3.94 in (10 cm)
- Style:Louis XVI (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Late 1800s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:NICE, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9202237175712
Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres
A maker of exemplary European ceramics for hundreds of years, Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres has produced porcelain of the highest quality since 1740.
The factory enjoyed royal patronage from its earliest days, and its most prominent patrons in the late 1700s — King Louis XV of France and his mistress, Madame de Pompadour — commissioned some of the period’s most elegant and striking pieces (only the truly wealthy could afford porcelain at this time). The company was originally established in Vincennes but was moved at the request of Madame de Pompadour, in 1756, to Sèvres, near Versailles, so that its operations would be closer to her château.
Sèvres became a mighty and much-revered factory working under a special grant from King Louis XV — the company’s owner as of 1759 and whose abundance of orders for special state gifts put financial strain on the company. Madame de Pompadour is said to have commissioned Sèvres to create an entire indoor garden of porcelain botanicals, for example.
While Sèvres gained a sterling reputation for its soft-paste porcelain wares, the company was late in entering into the production of hard-paste porcelain.
Hard-paste porcelain is the most common type of Chinese porcelain, then a widely exported and profitable product that was not made in Europe until the 18th century. The resources at Sèvres were largely relegated to meeting the demands of Louis XV, and secondly, it did not acquire the secret formula for hard-paste porcelain until 1761. Until it obtained the coveted secrets behind hard-paste porcelain from a chemist named Pierre-Antoine Hannong — and, years later, gained access to the elusive raw materials to make hard-paste porcelain — Sèvres produced soft-paste porcelain for decades that was widely celebrated but is comparatively a far weaker type as opposed to the hard-paste productions of the company’s rival, Meissen, in Saxony, the first to produce true porcelain outside of Asia.
The artisans at Sèvres applied the rarest and most difficult-to-produce colors to their decorative objects and dinner services. One such color, the bright bleu de roi, became the manufacturer’s signature shade and is found on many of their objects. Sèvres also experimented with rarely glazed or unglazed works that bore no decoration at all — bisque porcelain, French for “biscuit,” refers to unadorned white porcelain sculptures made at Sèvres that resemble white marble after being kiln-fired.
Sèvres marks were applied over the glaze or rendered with cuts by a sharp tool — authentic Sèvres porcelain is most commonly marked with two interlaced Ls that are painted in blue and enclose a third letter. Painters and potters were tasked with affixing marks to record their role in the creation of a particular piece, and as a lot of these artisans’ names are recorded in archival factory materials — and there is also much to be learned at the Sèvres museum — it’s likely that you can accurately identify your Sèvres piece.
Find antique and vintage Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres vases, urns, sculptures and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: NICE, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- 19th Century Large C. Vernet Mantel Clock in Gilt BronzeLocated in NICE, FRWe present you this exquisite and rare 19th-century C. Vernet mantel clock, embodying a neoclassical design. Crafted with great precision and adorned with fine gilded bronze, the cl...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Mantel Clocks
MaterialsBronze
- Late 19th Century Porcelain Clock by Jacob PetitBy Jacob PetitLocated in NICE, FRWe present you this unique porcelain clock, crafted by Jacob Petit in the style of Louis XV during the Napoleon III era. It bears the signature 'JP', standing for Jacob Petit, on its...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XV Mantel Clocks
MaterialsPorcelain
- 18th-Century Marble Clock with a Woman from Classical AntiquityBy Michel-François PiolaineLocated in NICE, FRWe present you this stunning Carrara marble clock, a masterpiece capturing a statue of a graceful young woman from classical antiquity in exquisite detail. Her foot delicately rests ...Category
Antique 18th Century French Louis XVI Mantel Clocks
MaterialsCarrara Marble, Bronze
- 19th Century Large Gilded Bronze Clock of the Napoleon III PeriodLocated in NICE, FRWe present you this large and exceptional clock in gilt bronze, measuring 61 cm in height and 31 cm in width. It is adorned with gilded bronze female busts on either side of the cloc...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Mantel Clocks
MaterialsBronze
- French Directoire Marble Athenian Clock with Eagle Heads Early 19th centuryLocated in NICE, FRDirectoire portico clock decorated with two Athenian with eagle heads and feet. The three gilded bronze hats are decorated with flowers. The white Carrara marble Medicis vase sits a...Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Directoire Mantel Clocks
MaterialsCarrara Marble, Ormolu
- 19th Century Pair of Putti Andirons in Gilt BronzeLocated in NICE, FRWe present you this wonderful pair of 19th-century andirons in gilt bronze. They represent cherubic figures, also known as putti, gazing at each another. These andirons have been met...Category
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Andirons
MaterialsBronze
- 19th Century Louis XVI Style Ormolu Bronze Clock with Sèvres PorcelainBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Casteren, Noord-BrabantA fine quality Louis XVI style bronze ormolu mantel clock. The case is made of gilt brass and bronze ormolu casted ornaments, Roman numerals in white enameled cartouches. On top of t...Category
Antique 1880s French Louis XVI Mantel Clocks
MaterialsBronze, Ormolu
- Late 19th Century Gilt Bronze and Turquoise Sèvres Porcelain 'Jeweled' Clock SetBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in New York, NYLate 19th century gilt bronze and turquoise Sèvres porcelain 'Jeweled' three-piece clock set The clock surmounted by a covered urn, the c...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Mantel Clocks
MaterialsBronze
- 19th Century French Sevres Porcelain Clock SetBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Brighton, SussexA good quality French, 19th century pink sevres porcelain and gilded ormolu clock set. Having a classical urn to the top, an eight day chiming movement. A romantic scene painted to t...Category
Antique 19th Century French Mantel Clocks
MaterialsOrmolu
- 19th Century Pink 'Sevres' Porcelain Mantel ClockBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Brighton, SussexA very pretty 19th century French pink 'Sevres' porcelain and gilded ormolu mantel clock. Having classical foliate and swag decoration surrounding the pink porcelain plaques which de...Category
Antique 19th Century French Mantel Clocks
MaterialsOrmolu
- Gilt Bronze and Sèvres Style Porcelain Clock GarnitureBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in London, GBGilt bronze and Sèvres style porcelain clock garniture French, 19th century Measures: Clock height 46cm, width 29cm, depth 24c...Category
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Mantel Clocks
MaterialsBronze, Ormolu
- 19th Century Sevres Clock SetBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Brighton, SussexA fine quality 19th century French Sevres porcelain and gilded ormolu clock garniture. Having a very impressive pair of five branch candelabra each...Category
Antique 1890s French Mantel Clocks
MaterialsOrmolu