Palatial French Ormolu-Mounted Sevres Porcelain Hand-Painted Vase and Cover
About the Item
- Creator:Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 56 in (142.24 cm)Width: 18 in (45.72 cm)Depth: 11 in (27.94 cm)
- Style:Napoleon III (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1838
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1798225096172
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: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Exceptional French Ormolu-Mounted Turquoise Jeweled Sevres Porcelain Clock SetBy Raingo FrèresLocated in New York, NYAn exceptional French bronze ormolu mounted turquoise jeweled Sèvres Porcelain clock set by Raingo Fres, Paris, circa 1880. Comprising of...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Mantel Clocks
MaterialsBronze, Ormolu
- Monumental and Masterful Pair of French Paris Porcelain Hand-Painted VasesLocated in New York, NYA monumental and masterful pair of French Paris porcelain hand-painted vases, circa 1860. These museum quality vases are extremely fine quality....Category
Antique 19th Century French Rococo Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- A Rare Pair of French Ormolu-Mounted Blue John Vases Candlesticks, C. 1870By Matthew BoultonLocated in New York, NYA Rare Pair of French Ormolu-Mounted Blue John Vases / Candlesticks, C. 1870, In the stye of Matthew Boulton. These rare and extremely elegant garnitu...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Vases
MaterialsOrmolu
- A Large Pair of French Ormolu-Mounted Porphyry VasesLocated in New York, NYElegance in Stone and Gilt: A Large Pair of French Ormolu-Mounted Egyptian Porphyry Vases, The gilt mounts 19th Century, the Porphyry, circa 1700's. Embark on a journey through time with this exceptional pair of Large French Ormolu-Mounted Egyptian Porphyry Vases – a harmonious union of history and artistry. The gilt mounts, crafted in the 19th century, pay homage to the opulence of the era while cradling the true treasures within – the Egyptian porphyry vases dating back to the 1700s. The porphyry, sourced from the enigmatic lands of Egypt, lends an air of ancient mystique to these majestic vases. Its rich, royal purple tones and intricate natural patterns echo the grandeur of ancient civilizations, infusing each piece with a palpable sense of history. The ormolu mounts, delicately worked and emblematic of 19th-century French craftsmanship, serve as a bridge between antiquity and the refined tastes of the Belle Époque. As you gaze upon these vases, you are invited to appreciate the confluence of two distinct epochs – the timeless allure of Egyptian antiquity...Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Neoclassical Vases
MaterialsPorphyry, Ormolu
- Monumental Royal Vienna Iridescent Porcelain Portrait Vase and Cover, WagnerBy Royal Vienna PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA monumental Royal Vienna Iridescent porcelain portrait vase and cover, Wagner, circa 1880. This Royal Vienna Urn features an exceptional iridescent ...Category
Antique 19th Century Austrian Napoleon III Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- Ferdinand Barbedienne, A French Ormolu and Champleve Enamel Vase, C. 1870By Ferdinand BarbedienneLocated in New York, NYFerdinand Barbedienne, A French Ormolu and Champleve Enamel Vase, C. 1870 In the Islamic / Alhambra taste. The two handled vase in Alhambra form, enameled in rich yellow throughout ...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Vases
MaterialsBronze, Ormolu, Enamel
- Large 19th Century French Sevres Ormolu Mounted Porcelain Covered VaseBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Los Angeles, CAA large and impressive 19th century French 'Sevres' ormolu mounted painted porcelain covered urn. Cobalt-blue baluster form with tooled gilt bordering cartouche centered with hand painted romantic scene depicting a standing man and two ladies. The reverse side with landscape scene within a tooled gilt bordered cartouche. An intricately detailed gilded bronze wreath, wings and hinged ring handles flank each side of urn, conforming socle base with a gilt bronze rim with continuous acanthus leaf detail, gilt bronze shapely plinth. The lid with monogram E within blue interlaced L's Se`vres mark. Inscribed: Offert par le due de Richelieu a la princesse de lamballe...Category
Antique 19th Century French Louis XV Vases
MaterialsBronze
- Sevres France Hand Painted Porcelain Bronze Mounted Large Covered UrnBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Gardena, CASevres France Hand Painted Porcelain Bronze Mounted Large Covered Urn Sevres France hand painted porcelain bronze mounted large covered urn, 4th ...Category
Antique 19th Century French Urns
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of French Napoleanic Sèvres Porcelain and Ormolu Covered Vases/Pot PourriesBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in New York, NYA pair of highly important and rare antique French Napoleonic gilt bronze mounted, cobalt blue, double handled, Royal Napoleonic Sèvres style porcelain covered vases/ pot pourries of...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Vases
MaterialsBronze, Ormolu
- Hand Painted French Porcelain Vases Sevres StyleBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Miami, FLIn the style of the manufacture the Sevres, lovely pair of porcelain vases with hand painted scenes on a light blue background.Category
Early 20th Century French Victorian Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- French Ormolu Mounted Pink Sevres Lidded Vase, 1775By Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Lisbon, PTA beautiful antique decorative pink porcelain Sèvres urn with a hand-painted background of a guitar musician and his lady. A Serenata scene. In the back a lake scene with a castle. ...Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Vases
MaterialsBronze
- Petite Sevres Porcelain and Bronze Ormolu Mounted Urn VaseBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Guaynabo, PRThis is a very old gilt and pale pink background urn depicting a continuous hand-painted scene of a lady sitting in a pastoral landscape holding her fan and observing nature. In the ...Category
Antique 19th Century French Rococo Urns
MaterialsPorcelain