19th Century Porcelain Samovar
About the Item
- Creator:Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 11.03 in (28 cm)Width: 5.91 in (15 cm)Depth: 5.12 in (13 cm)
- Style:Napoleon III (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Porcelain,Glazed
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1860
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2961310357351
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- 19th Century Hand-Painted and Gilt Porcelain Serve Style Coup VaseBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in London, GBA fine sevre style gilt bronze-mounted porcelain coup. This impressive sevre style coup is finely painted with a scene of bouquet flowers on one side and classical figures on the oth...Category
Antique 19th Century French Other Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Large 19th Century Porcelain PlaqueBy Dresden PorcelainLocated in London, GBA beautiful mid-19th century porcelain plaque of a semi-nude woman in a blue toga, reclining by a lake and reading a book. Probably German, Dresden factory, circa 1860.Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- 19th Century English Porcelain GarnitureBy Coalport PorcelainLocated in London, GBA garniture of Minton or Coalport vases, circa 1830, in the C18 Meissen style with appliqué handmade ceramic flowers encrusted all-over.Category
Antique Early 19th Century English Neoclassical Revival Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of 19th Century French Provincial Sever VasesBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in London, GBA monumental pair of sever vases. Each vase beautifully painted with scenes of classical figures and exotic birds against a pale green and cobalt blue background.Category
Antique 19th Century French French Provincial Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of 19th Century Porcelain Ottaman FiguresBy Jacob PetitLocated in London, GBA pair of Jacob Peti porcelain Ottaman standing figures of a sultan and sultana decorated in polychrome and gilt marked at base jp.Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Islamic Porcelain
- 19th Century Sevres Style CasketLocated in London, GB19th century French Sevres style ormolu and porcelain casket having light blue ground, painted with panels of romantic scenes.Category
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
MaterialsOrmolu
- 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 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
- Large 19th Century Porcelain Box 19th CenturyBy Europa AntiquesLocated in Madrid, ESLarge 19th century porcelain box. Possibly late 19th century Austrian work. In good condition. No faults. Measures: 44x30x26 cm Good condition.Category
Antique 19th Century Austrian Baroque Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Late 19th Century Sèvres Style Parcel-Gilt Porcelain JardinièreBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in New York, NYA late 19th century Sèvres style parcel-gilt porcelain jardinière Finely painted with numerous colored flowers with green and gold trim, gilt ram heads on either side. In late ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Planters, Cachepots and Ja...
MaterialsPorcelain
- Stunning Late 19th Century Sèvres Style Porcelain Rectangular PlaqueBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in New York, NYA stunning late 19th century sèvres style porcelain rectangular plaque. A landscape scene depicting two lovers in a boat surrounded by water and trees, in a giltwood and red felt ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain, Giltwood
- 19th Century Porcelain Inkwell - Vieux ParisLocated in Casteren, Noord-BrabantA beautiful porcelain inkwell, very decorative with colorful birds and gold colored accents. This object is not marked, but the style and design indicate that this is 'Vieux Paris' p...Category
Antique 1880s French Napoleon III Inkwells
MaterialsPorcelain
