Pair of Wall Sconces in Gilt Bronze and Sèvres Porcelain, Napoleon Period.
About the Item
- Creator:Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 16.34 in (41.5 cm)Width: 11.62 in (29.5 cm)Depth: 5.32 in (13.5 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Napoleon III (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1850-1870s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Saint-Ouen, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1530239255342
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: Saint-Ouen, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Mantelpiece and Candelabras in Gilt and Cloisonné Bronze, Napoleon Period.Located in Saint-Ouen, FRMantelpiece and candelabras in gilt and cloisonné bronze, 19th century, Napoleon III period. Clock, mantelpiece and candelabra in gilt and cloisonné bronze, beautiful gilding and ch...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Candelabras
MaterialsBronze
- Sèvres Porcelain Cup and Gilt Bronze Mount, Napoleon III.By Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Saint-Ouen, FRSèvres Porcelain Cup and Gilt Bronze Mount, Napoleon III. 19th century Sèvres porcelain bowl and gilt bronze mounting, Napoleon III period. h: 17cm, l: 37cm, p: 30cmCategory
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Bowls
MaterialsBronze
- Rare Pair of Sèvres Porcelain Boxes, Brass Mounts, Napoleon III Period.By Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Saint-Ouen, FRRare Pair of Sèvres Porcelain Boxes, Brass Mounts, 19th Century, Napoleon III period. A pair of Sèvres porcelain boxes, brass mounts, very large boxes, painted decorations on porcel...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Sèvres Porcelain Vases, Napoleon III Period, 19th Century.By Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Saint-Ouen, FRPair of Sèvres porcelain vases, Napoleon III period, 19th Century. A pair of Sèvres porcelain vases, richly decorated with medallions and gallant scenes, Napoleon III period, 19th C...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of 19th Century Bronze Candlesticks, Napoleon III PeriodLocated in Saint-Ouen, FR"Pair of 19th century bronze candlesticks, Napoleon III period" Pair of small bronze candelabra, 19th century, Napoleon III period. h: 21cm, w: 22cm, d: 12cmCategory
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Candlesticks
MaterialsBronze
- Pair of Sevres Porcelain Plates of Napoleon III and EugenieBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Saint-Ouen, FR"Pair of Sevres Porcelain Plates of Napoleon III and Eugenie" Pair of plates representing Napoleon III and Eugenie in Sèvres Porcelain, 19th ...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of Gilt Bronze Ormolu and Sèvres Style Porcelain CandelabrasBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in LA CIOTAT, FRAn absolutely stunning pair of late 19th century Louis XVI style two-light candelabras in Sèvres- style porcelain and gilt bronze ormolu. These magnificent candle holders feature pea...Category
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Candelabras
MaterialsBronze
- Pair Sèvres Porcelain Ormolu Gilt Bronze Celeste Blue Candelabra CandlesticksBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Dublin, IrelandA fine stylish and imposing pair of French three light table or mantle Sevres porcelain mounted ormolu candelabra of outstanding quality. Early to mid-nineteenth century. Each with...Category
Antique 19th Century French Late Victorian Candelabras
MaterialsOrmolu, Bronze
- Antique Pair French Ormolu Gilt Bronze Sevres Porcelain Candelabras CandlesticksBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Dublin, IrelandA Fine Stylish and Imposing Pair of French Three Light Table or Mantle Sevres Porcelain Ormolu Mounted Candelabra of outstanding quality. Mid to late Nineteenth Century. Each with ...Category
Antique 19th Century French Late Victorian Candelabras
MaterialsOrmolu
- Sèvres Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Porcelain Clock SetBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in London, GBThis magnificent five-piece clock set is designed in the style of 18th century porcelain produced by the famous Sèvres Manufactory in France. The set is comprised of a mantel clock, a pair of flanking vases—which double-up as candelabra—and two candlesticks. The five items are crafted from ‘bleu Sèvres’ (navy) colored porcelain, which has been finely parcel gilt, jewelled and painted, and mounted in gilt bronze (ormolu). The mantel clock is composed of a circular porcelain dial, with a central painting of cherubs in flight, encircled by black Roman Numerals within white medallions. This is set within a gilt bronze bezel, crowned by a porcelain lidded urn, fitted with gilt bronze satyr head handles, draped with flower swags, and topped by a gilt bronze grape cluster finial. The clock case is supported on four porcelain columns, which are surmounted by a gilt bronze pinecone-tipped staff, draped with tasselled fabrics. A gilt bronze sculpture of a dancing Maenad (also called a Bacchante)—a female follower of the classical god of wine and ecstasy, Dionysus (or Bacchus). The woman plays the tambourine and is accompanied by a putto. The clock is placed on a shaped gilt bronze base, with two projecting scrolled wings, decorated with gilt bronze acanthus leaves and porcelain patera. The base is mounted with porcelain paintings of classical trophies, and putti within a gilt bronze cartouche frame. It is set on two gilt bronze feet, which are decorated with pointed porcelain covers and gilt bronze rosettes. Depending on personal preference, the vases that accompany the clock can be left as they are or made to serve as candelabra. When vases, they are topped by porcelain domed lids, with gilt bronze grape finials. To turn the items into candelabra, these lids are replaced by gilt bronze covers. Each cover is fitted with six gilt bronze branches—five of which are scrolling and decorated with acanthus leaves, and one extends upwards in a straight line. These terminate in wide drip-pans and urn-shaped capitals. The porcelain vase bodies feature fine paintings of couples courting in garden settings, and they are fitted with gilt bronze cherub head...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Rococo Mantel Clocks
MaterialsOrmolu, Bronze
- Sèvres Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Porcelain Clock SetBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in London, GBThis large clock set, which is comprised of a mantel clock and pair of flanking candelabra, is designed in the style of Sèvres Porcelain manufactory goods. In the manner of Sèvres Po...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Rococo Mantel Clocks
MaterialsOrmolu, Bronze
- Pair of Gilt Bronze and Turquoise Porcelain CandelabraBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in London, GBPair of gilt bronze and turquoise porcelain candelabra French, early 20th Century Measures: Height 81cm, width 26cm, depth 26cm These elegant candelabra, crafted from porcelain and gilt bronze, feature vase...Category
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Candelabras
MaterialsOrmolu