Ormolu Sevres Jewel Casket Exhibited at the Great Exhibition 1851, 19th Century

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About the Item

This is a truly stunning and highly important antique ormolu and Sèvres porcelain jewel casket, which was exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 by the celebrated London retailer and manufacturer, S. Wertheimer. This wonderful ormolu jewel casket is rectangular in shape and is superby engraved with magnificent foliate motifs and equally attractive griffins throughout. The hinged lid has a rectangular hand painted Sèvres porcelain plaque which features splendid floral decoration in various bright colors - red, pink, blue, white and green, against a lovely bleu celeste background. It opens to reveal a luxurious blue velvet interior, which is ready to store all your most precious items. It stands on four delightful and sturdy brass ball feet. The underside bears the original label with the inscription: Has been in the Exhibition, 1851 Manufactured by S. Wertheimer 35 Greek Street, Soho, London Condition: In really excellent condition. Dimensions in cm: Height 11 x width 22 x depth 16 Dimensions in inches: Height 4.3 x width 8.7 x depth 6.3 Sèvres porcelain traces its roots in France to early craftsmen who had small manufacturing operations in such places as Lille, Rouen. St. Cloud, and most notably Chantilly. It is from Chantilly that a cadre of workers migrated to the Chateau de Vincennes near Paris to form a larger porcelain manufactory in 1738. French King Louis XV, perhaps inspired by his rumoured relationship with mistress Madame de Pompadour, took an intense interest in porcelain and moved the operation in 1756 to even larger quarters in the Paris suburb of Sèvres. Sèvres was also conveniently near the home of Madame de Pompadour and the King's own Palace at Versailles. From the outset the king's clear aim was to produce Sèvres Porcelain that surpassed the established Saxony works of Meissen and Dresden. Though the French lacked an ample supply of kaolin, a required ingredient for hard-paste porcelain (pate dure), their soft-paste porcelain (pate tendre) was fired at a lower temperature and was thus compatible with a wider variety of colors and glazes that in many cases were also richer and more vivid. Unglazed white Sevres Porcelain "biscuit" figurines were also a great success. However, soft-paste Sevres Porcelain was more easily broken. Therefore, early pieces of Sevres Porcelain that remain intact have become rare indeed. The Sèvres Porcelain manufactory always seemed to be in dire financial straits despite the incredibly Fine works it produced. In fact, the king's insistence that only the finest items be created may have contributed to the difficulties. Only a limited number of European nobility could afford the extravagant prices demanded for such works. King Louis XV and eventually his heir, the ill-fated Louis XVI, were obliged to invest heavily in the enterprise. Ultimately, the Sèvres Porcelain Factory produced items under the name of "Royal" and thus the well-known Sèvres mark was born. King Louis XV even mandated laws that severely restricted other porcelain production in France so as to retain a near monopoly for his Sèvres Porcelain. The king even willingly became chief salesman for the finest of his products, hosting an annual New Year's Day showing for French nobility in his private quarters at Versailles. He eagerly circulated among potential buyers, pitching the merits of ownership and policing the occasional light-fingered guest. Sèvres Porcelain may have indeed given the makers of Meissen and Dresden a run for their money by the end of the 18th century but for the French Revolution. By 1800, the Sèvres Porcelain Works were practically out of business due to the economic devastation of the new French Republic. About the time when Napoleon Bonaparte named himself Emperor of France (1804), a new director was named for the Sèvres Porcelain manufactory. Alexandre Brongniart, highly educated in many fields, resurrected Sèvres Porcelain. Soft-paste porcelain was eliminated altogether thanks to the earlier discovery of kaolin near Limoges. For four decades until his death, Brongniart presided over monumental progress for Sèvres Porcelain, catering not only to Napoleon himself, but at last to include the more financially profitable mid-priced market in the emerging middle class.

Dimensions:
Height: 4.34 in (11 cm)Width: 8.67 in (22 cm)Depth: 6.3 in (16 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Ormolu,Porcelain,Velvet
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
1850-1859
Date of Manufacture:
1851
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: A10491stDibs: LU950617937542

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