Porcelain Figure Group of Venus and Muses Samson 19th Century, Sevres French
About the Item
- Creator:Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 11.82 in (30 cm)Width: 19.69 in (50 cm)Depth: 11.82 in (30 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:19th Century
- Condition:*one dove wing to be fixed.
- Seller Location:Lantau, HK
- Reference Number:
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: Lantau, Hong Kong
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Porcelain Figure Group Playing the Blind Man's Buff 19th Century, FrenchLocated in Lantau, HKPorcelain figure group playing the Blind man's buff Beautifully crafted artwork, hand painted 19th century, French. Dimensions: 50 x 30 x 30 cm (approximate).Category
Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- 19th Century, Napoli Hand Painted Porcelain Figure Musical GroupLocated in Lantau, HKA group engaged in a musical scene 19th century marked (N with a crown) for Neapel Porcelain, hand painted. Shipping included Free and fast delivery door to door by air...Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Early 19th Century, Soup Bowl, French Hand Painted Sèvres PorcelainBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Lantau, HKSoup bowl, remarkably hand painted flowers decor with delicate and vibrant colors, elaborate gilded pattern throughout Marked and dated Sèvres, 1834. Measures: Bowl 12.5 x 7.5 cm...Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Serving Bowls
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of Porcelain Vases, Hand Painted French 19th Century, Mark for SevresBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Lantau, HKPair of porcelain vases, French, 19th century, mark for Sevres Hand painted porcelain with very refined floral design. The flower painted in free style reflects the high artistic ach...Category
Antique 19th Century French Classical Roman Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Bisque Porcelain Couple with Grapes, 19th Century French SèvresBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Lantau, HKA 19th century French Sèvres biscuit porcelain figurine of a couple seated in the garden. The gentleman is feeding grapes to the lady, whose l...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century French Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsCarrara Marble
- Bronze Figure Group of a Painter with a Muse, Late 19th CenturyLocated in Lantau, HKA late 19th century French bronze figure group of a painter at his easel with a female figure by his side. The piece is in good condition with a lovely patina. Shipping inclu...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Early 19th Century Capodimonte Figural GroupLocated in Dublin 8, IEEarly 19th century Capodimonte lively figural group of two women tending to a gentleman’s hair with playful little dog, circa 1820.Category
Antique 1820s Irish Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Fine 19th Century Porcelain Capodimonte Group of Cherubs and a GoatBy CapodimonteLocated in Dallas, TXThis bright Capodimonte porcelain group of four putti and a goat symbolizes abundance and the spirit of life. Capodimonte was originally an 18th century Italian porcelain...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Classical Greek Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of 19th Century Sevres Porcelain VasesBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Brighton, SussexA good quality pair of 19th century 'Sevres' porcelain hand-painted classical vases, depicting romantic scenes to the panels, set in a dark blue background with gilded decoration and...Category
Antique 19th Century French Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- 19th Century French Pair of Bronze and Blue Sevres Porcelain CandelabrasBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in LEGNY, FRPair of candelabras in gilded bronze and blue Sèvres porcelain dating from the end of the 19th century. Vases adorned with branches of roses and different flowers (a few pistils miss...Category
Antique 19th Century French Porcelain
MaterialsBronze
- 19th Century French Ormolu Sèvres Porcelain Centerpiece BowlBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Winter Park, FLA fine 19th Century French cast ormolu bronze mounted Sèvres porcelain centerpiece with double handles and raised on a footed base. Inset Neo-classical style hand-painted porcelain s...Category
Antique 19th Century French Beaux Arts Porcelain
MaterialsOrmolu
- 19th Century Sevrès Porcelain Figural Stand Centerpiece Raised Fruit BasketBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Miami, FLServing piece, fruit bowl center table with 1 plates and 1 high, basfuit basket in enameled porcelain. This highly decorative footed bowl, reti...Category
Antique Late 19th Century European Rococo Centerpieces
MaterialsPorcelain