Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 17

Antique Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust Marie Antoinette 19th Century

About the Item

This is a fabulous decorative antique Sevres bisque porcelain bust of Marie Antoinette dating from Circa 1880 and bearing the blue painted interlaced L's Sevres mark. This is an elegant bust of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and the wife of Louis XVI. The bust in white bisque porcelain contrasts beautifully with the glazed cobalt blue and gilt pedestal. Here, Marie Antoinette is pictured with ribbons woven into her hair wearing a Fleur de Lys crown. Bisque porcelain busts of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were highly fashionable during their reign, and continued to be produced in the 19th Century. This bust depicts one of the most important figures in French history, and will make an elegant addition to any home. Provenance: from a private Worcestershire collection. Condition: In excellent condition, with no chips, cracks or repairs, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 35 cm x Width 18 cm x Depth 14 cm Dimensions in inches: Height 1 foot, 2 inches x Width 7 inches x Depth 5 inches Marie Antoinette was the last queen of France prior to the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I. Bisque, French for 'biscuit', is a technique where the porcelain is left unglazed. In its pristine white state, the moulded porcelain resembles pure marble. This style of porcelain was invented by the Sèvres factory, who used it to create small sculptures to replace the white sugar figurines that were used to decorate dining room tables in the 18th Century. 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 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 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. Our reference: A3639

Dimensions:
Height: 13.78 in (35 cm)Width: 7.09 in (18 cm)Depth: 5.52 in (14 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Porcelain
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1880-1889
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1880
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: A36391stDibs: LU950637619052

19th Century Sevres Style Porcelain Pedestal

H 33 in W 14 in D 14 in

19th Century Sevres Style Porcelain Pedestal

Located in GB

This outstanding pedestal beautifully exhibits the style and grace of the famed Sèvres porcelain manufactory. This exceptional piece features a lustrous light blue base, which provid...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century French Empire Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

H 4.34 in Dm 4.73 in

19th Century French Sevres Porcelain Milk Jug, 1847s

Located in LEGNY, FR

Very nice 20th porcelain milk jug made by the French and famous manufacture of Sevres. We can see three stamp at the back : the stamp of sevres 1040, the red stamp...

Category

Antique 1840s French Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

19th Century Blue Porcelain Cup in Sevres Style

H 1.19 in W 13.59 in D 8.86 in

19th Century Blue Porcelain Cup in Sevres Style

By Samson & Cie

Located in Paris, FR

Oval blue porcelain cup with polychromatic decoration composed of a large cartouche with gilt-decorated borders depicting a man and a young woman in a landscape, sitting on the grass...

Category

Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

French Hand Painted Porcelain Carriage with Marie Antoinette

H 11 in W 9.5 in D 5.5 in

French Hand Painted Porcelain Carriage with Marie Antoinette

Located in Pembroke, MA

French Paris porcelain figural group depicting Marie Antoinette borne in her carriage with small dog following. Carriage has removable top cover. Beautifully-painted detailing, and v...

Category

Antique 19th Century French Rococo Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Important Sèvres Porcelain Box, 19th Century, Napoleon III Period.

H 4.34 in Dm 9.06 in

Important Sèvres Porcelain Box, 19th Century, Napoleon III Period.

By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

Important Sèvres porcelain box, 19th century, Napoleon III period. A 19th century box, Napoleon III period, in Sèvres porcelain, enamelled and gilded, brass mount, decorated with a...

Category

Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Late 19th Century Sèvres Style Parcel-Gilt Porcelain Jardinière

H 12 in W 15 in D 12 in

Late 19th Century Sèvres Style Parcel-Gilt Porcelain Jardinière

By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres

Located in Long Island City, NY

A 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