Skip to main content

Antique Ormolu Mounted Bleu Celeste Sevres Porcelain Centrepiece, 19th Century

Antique Ormolu Mounted Bleu Celeste Sevres Porcelain Centrepiece, 19th Century

View Similar Items

Antique Bleu Royale Sèvres Porcelain Ormolu Table Lamp, 19th Century

Antique Bleu Royale Sèvres Porcelain Ormolu Table Lamp, 19th Century

Antique Pair French Bleu Celeste Sevres Urns 19th C

Antique Pair French Bleu Celeste Sevres Urns 19th C

Antique Pair of French Bleu Celeste Sèvres Vases Lamps, 19th Century

Antique Pair of French Bleu Celeste Sèvres Vases Lamps, 19th Century

Antique Pair of French Bleu Celeste Porcelain Urns 19th Century

Antique Pair of French Bleu Celeste Porcelain Urns 19th Century

Pair French 19th C. Ormolu & Sevres Porcelain Celeste Blue Jeweled Covered Vases

Pair French 19th C. Ormolu & Sevres Porcelain Celeste Blue Jeweled Covered Vases

Antique French Sevres Porcelain and Ormolu Jewelry Casket, 19th Century

Antique French Sevres Porcelain and Ormolu Jewelry Casket, 19th Century

Antique 19th Century Sèvres Style Ormolu Mounted Vases With Cover

Antique 19th Century Sèvres Style Ormolu Mounted Vases With Cover

Antique 19th Century Sèvres Ormolu Mounted Vases With Covers c.1870

Antique 19th Century Sèvres Ormolu Mounted Vases With Covers c.1870

Antique Cobalt Blue Sevres Porcelain Ormolu Table Lamp, 19th Century

Antique Cobalt Blue Sevres Porcelain Ormolu Table Lamp, 19th Century

French 19th Century Napoleon III Sévres Style Porcelain and Ormolu Mounted Urn

French 19th Century Napoleon III Sévres Style Porcelain and Ormolu Mounted Urn

Sevres French Fine Porcelain Gilded Ormolu Comport 19th Century

Sevres French Fine Porcelain Gilded Ormolu Comport 19th Century

Monumental Pair of 19th Century French Sèvres Celeste Blue Porcelain Cachepots

Monumental Pair of 19th Century French Sèvres Celeste Blue Porcelain Cachepots

Video Loading

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 16

Antique Ormolu Mounted Bleu Celeste Sevres Porcelain Centrepiece, 19th Century

About the Item

A beautiful superb quality antique ormolu-mounted Sevres "Bleu Celeste" porcelain centrepiece, circa 1880 in date. The striking Bleu Celeste circular centrepiece is hand painted with multiple vignettes of roses in gilt borders and features finely cast ormolu mounts with three rams heads handles in high relief, and it sits on a tripod base with lion masks. There is no mistaking the quality and unique design of this centrepiece which is sure to become a treasured addition to your home. Condition: In excellent condition, with no chips, cracks or signs of repair, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 27 x width 24 x depth 24 Dimensions in inches: Height 10.6 x width 9.4 x depth 9.4 Sevres 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 Sevres. Sevres 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 Sevres 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 colors 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 Sevres Porcelain was more easily broken. Therefore, early pieces of Sevres Porcelain that remain intact have become rare indeed. The Sevres 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 Sevres 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. Sevres 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 Sevres 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. Ormolu - (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'. The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object. No true ormolu was produced in France after circa 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury. Therefore, other techniques were used instead but nothing surpasses the original mercury-firing ormolu method for sheer beauty and richness of colour. Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt (also known as vermeil).

Dimensions:
Height: 10.63 in (27 cm)Width: 9.45 in (24 cm)Depth: 9.45 in (24 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Ormolu,Porcelain
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1880-1889
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1880
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: A12011stDibs: LU950619480532

More From This Seller

Antique Bleu Royale Sèvres Porcelain Ormolu Table Lamp, 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a stunning large antique French Sèvres "Bleu Royale" hand painted porcelain and ormolu-mounted vase circa 1870 in date, later converted into a lamp. The ovoid porcelain bo...

Category

Antique 1870s French Porcelain

Materials

Ormolu

Antique Bleu Royale Sèvres Porcelain Ormolu Table Lamp, 19th Century

Antique Bleu Royale Sèvres Porcelain Ormolu Table Lamp, 19th Century

$2,279

Antique Pair French Bleu Celeste Sevres Urns 19th C

Located in London, GB

This is a beautiful antique pair of French Sevres style porcelain and ormolu mounted twin handled urns, in the Louis XV manner, Circa 1870 in date. The bleu celeste...

Category

Antique 1870s French Urns

Materials

Ormolu

Antique Pair French Bleu Celeste Sevres Urns 19th C

Antique Pair French Bleu Celeste Sevres Urns 19th C

$1,830 / set

Antique Pair of French Bleu Celeste Sèvres Vases Lamps, 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is an exquisite large pair of French Sèvres Porcelain and ormolu mounted oil burning table lamps that have been skillfully converted to electricity ...

Category

Antique 1870s French Porcelain

Materials

Ormolu

Antique Pair of French Bleu Celeste Sèvres Vases Lamps, 19th Century

Antique Pair of French Bleu Celeste Sèvres Vases Lamps, 19th Century

$2,141 / set

Antique Bleu Celeste Sevres Porcelain Ormolu Table Lamp 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a stunning large antique French Sevres hand-painted porcelain and ormolu mounted vase circa 1870 in date, later converted into a lamp. The ovoid porcelain body is painted...

Category

Antique 1870s French Table Lamps

Materials

Onyx, Ormolu

Antique Bleu Celeste Sevres Porcelain Ormolu Table Lamp 19th Century

Antique Bleu Celeste Sevres Porcelain Ormolu Table Lamp 19th Century

$2,003

Antique Pair of French Bleu Celeste Porcelain Urns 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a fine and rare antique pair of French porcelain ormolu mounted twin handled urns in the Sevres manner, dating from Circa 1860. The decorative twin handle vases are super...

Category

Antique 1860s French Porcelain

Materials

Ormolu

Antique Pair of French Bleu Celeste Porcelain Urns 19th Century

Antique Pair of French Bleu Celeste Porcelain Urns 19th Century

$2,693 / set

Antique French Sevres Porcelain and Ormolu Jewelry Casket, 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a fabulous antique French Ormolu and Sevres Porcelain jewelry casket, circa 1870 in date. This magnificent casket is rectangular in shape, with the top as well as each sid...

Category

Antique 1870s French Porcelain

Materials

Ormolu

Antique French Sevres Porcelain and Ormolu Jewelry Casket, 19th Century

Antique French Sevres Porcelain and Ormolu Jewelry Casket, 19th Century

$2,693

You May Also Like

Pair French 19th C. Ormolu & Sevres Porcelain Celeste Blue Jeweled Covered Vases

By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres

Located in New York, NY

A Marvelous and Quite Large Pair of French 19th Century Ormolu Mounted Sevres Porcelain Jeweled Celeste Blue Ground Covered Vases with Four Main Panels. Each vase of baluster form w...

Category

Antique 1870s French Louis XVI Porcelain

Materials

Bronze

Pair French 19th C. Ormolu & Sevres Porcelain Celeste Blue Jeweled Covered Vases

Pair French 19th C. Ormolu & Sevres Porcelain Celeste Blue Jeweled Covered Vases

$44,950 / set

Antique 19th Century Sèvres Style Ormolu Mounted Vases With Cover

Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Antique 19th Century French porcelain potpourri vases, adorned with ormolu mounts in the Sèvres style. Each vase boasts two graceful handles shaped like cherubs, adorned with delicat...

Category

Antique 19th Century French Other Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Antique 19th Century Sèvres Style Ormolu Mounted Vases With Cover

Antique 19th Century Sèvres Style Ormolu Mounted Vases With Cover

$6,623

Free Shipping

Antique 19th Century Sèvres Ormolu Mounted Vases With Covers c.1870

Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Antique 19th Century French Serres porcelain pair of lidded vases, exude elegance with their ornate ormolu mounts. Delicately adorned with graceful acanthus leaf handles, each vase f...

Category

Antique 1870s French Other Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Antique 19th Century Sèvres Ormolu Mounted Vases With Covers c.1870

Antique 19th Century Sèvres Ormolu Mounted Vases With Covers c.1870

$7,866

Free Shipping

French 19th Century Napoleon III Sévres Style Porcelain and Ormolu Mounted Urn

By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres

Located in Los Angeles, CA

A very fine French 19th Century Napoleon III Sévres Style Porcelain and Ormolu Mounted Covered Urn, the 360 degree painted urn centered with an 18th century scene of a young Princess...

Category

Antique 19th Century French Louis XV Porcelain

Materials

Ormolu

French 19th Century Napoleon III Sévres Style Porcelain and Ormolu Mounted Urn

French 19th Century Napoleon III Sévres Style Porcelain and Ormolu Mounted Urn

$12,850 Sale Price

31% Off

Sevres French Fine Porcelain Gilded Ormolu Comport 19th Century

Located in Nottingham, GB

In good condition From a private collection Free international shipping Sevres French Fine Porcelain Gilded Ormolu Comport 19th Century

Category

Antique 19th Century Porcelain

Materials

Ormolu

Sevres French Fine Porcelain Gilded Ormolu Comport 19th Century

Sevres French Fine Porcelain Gilded Ormolu Comport 19th Century

$4,109

Free Shipping

Monumental Pair of 19th Century French Sèvres Celeste Blue Porcelain Cachepots

By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres

Located in New York, NY

A monumental and rare pair of 19th century French dore bronze mounted Sèvres Celeste blue porcelain cachepots. These cache pots are extremely rare to fi...

Category

Antique 1860s French Louis XVI Planters, Cachepots and Jardinières

Materials

Bronze

Monumental Pair of 19th Century French Sèvres Celeste Blue Porcelain Cachepots

Monumental Pair of 19th Century French Sèvres Celeste Blue Porcelain Cachepots

$45,000 / set

Recently Viewed

More Ways To Browse

Antique English Porcelain Figurines

Gio Ponti Velesca

Giorgio Lucchesi

Giovanni Battista Gatti

Giraffe Bookends

Giraffe Studio Pottery

Girard Hexagonal

Giulio Di Mauro

Giuseppe Nerone And Gianni Patuzzi

Giuseppe Scapinelli Desk

Glaciar Small Silver Alpaca White Onyx Stone Box

Glas Italia Funghetti

Glass Aztec Dish

View All Popular Porcelain Searches