19th Century French Gilt Bronze Bleu Celeste Sevres Porcelain Clock

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19th Century French Gilt Bronze Bleu Celeste Sevres Porcelain Clock

About the Item

This is a superb antique French gilt bronze mantel clock with a profusion of Bleu Celeste porcelain panels in the Sèvres manner, circa 1860 in date. The case mounted with two cherubs holding wreaths representing theatre, flanking an oval Bleu Celeste porcelain panel of a playwright. The base is decorated with flowers, is raised on turned feet and inset with Sèvres plaques decorated with cherubs. The circular dial has Roman and Arabic numerals and is signed on the dial "Prize Medal 1851 Miroy Freres Brevettes Paris". The clock has an 8 day striking movement, is complete with count wheel strike and bell, stamped with Miroy Freres to back and is complete with original key bell and pendulum This incredible clock is a must have for any collector of ornamental and decorative pieces. Condition: The clock is in excellent working condition the movement having been cleaned and serviced, the ormolu case having been polished, in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 68 x width 47 x depth 29 Dimensions in inches: Height 2 feet, 3 inches x width 1 foot, 6 inches x depth 11 inches 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 colours 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 Sèvres porcelain was more easily broken. Therefore, early pieces of Sèvres 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 Sevres 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 Sevres 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 Sevres 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 Sevres 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 Sevres 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: 26.78 in (68 cm)Width: 18.51 in (47 cm)Depth: 11.42 in (29 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Porcelain,Gilt
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1860-1869
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1860
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 084121stDibs: LU95068679883