The French Porcelain Society

President: Dame Rosalind Savill Chairman: Errol Manners

Spring 2014

French Porcelain Society members at the V&A, October 2013

Chairman’s Report
We are thrilled and touched to announce a most generous gift Our full schedule of Spring events begins in March with
of £5,000 from Lady de Bellaigue in memory of Sir Geoffrey. lectures and a study session with the Amici di Doccia to
Amounting to £6,400 with Gift Aid, we have agreed that celebrate the publication of the Quaderni, which will be
it should be used to help with the travel costs of scholars devoted to the Doccia porcelain in the V&A. Dame Rosalind
coming from abroad to deliver papers at our Study Days and has long wanted to take the Society to Ireland and from 24th
Symposia. As Museum budgets are squeezed it is now harder to 27th of April will be leading us there in what promises to
for curators to get funding from their institutions. We think be a most memorable trip.
that Geoffrey, who was always so keen to encourage young The timing of our summer events has proved contentious
scholars, would approve of this. but we have come up with a plan which we hope will be a
Patricia Ferguson organised two handling sessions for us satisfactory compromise. Towards the end of Art Antiques
this autumn. John Whitehead and Rebecca Wallis led us in London, on Tuesday 17th June, we are holding a Study Day.
a masterly exploration of selected highlights of Sèvres from We are in the process of gathering an impressive group of
the V&A’s collection starting with the Revolutionary period speakers, to be announced shortly. Joanna Gwilt will give the
right up to the 20th century. Through the good offices of second Geoffrey de Bellaigue Annual lecture that evening,
Sotheby’s Institute of Art, we held a fascinating session with followed by our AGM and annual dinner. A two-day visit
the famous ‘Black Museum’ established by Jim Kiddell, the with an overnight stay to Harewood House and Chatsworth
doyen of ceramic studies at Sotheby’s. is planned for 19th and 20th June. We hope that visitors from
The next Journal, comprising the papers given at the abroad will find it possible to combine these events with a
Symposium in honour of Dame Rosalind Savill, is due out visit to the Masterpiece Fair which opens the following week.
this spring. We are very grateful to Oliver Fairclough to We are proud to be assisting with the publication of the
have taken on the huge task of editing and producing what updated second edition of David Peter’s monumental ‘Sèvres
promises to be our biggest ever publication by quite some Plates and Services of the 18th Century’. We are asking for
way. The old blue journals, many of which have been out of a list of subscribers for this extraordinary work, which has
print for some time, are now all available online and can be revolutionised our understanding of service wares.
downloaded from the website. Errol Manners, January 2014
 Committee Members of the French Porcelain Society 2013
President Dame Rosalind Savill DBE, FSA, FBA, London
Chairman Errol Manners FSA, London
Secretary Patricia Ferguson, London
Treasurer Georgina McPherson, London
Journal Editor Oliver Fairclough FSA, Cardiff
Membership Secretary Anne Leeper, U.K.
Events Organiser Nette Megens, London
Events Organiser Susan Newell, London
Newsletter Editor Catrin Jones, London
North American Representative Letitia Roberts, New York
French Representative Manuela Finaz de Villaine, Paris
Australian Representative Peter Burton, Australia
Journal Co-Editor John Whitehead, France
Extraordinary Member Mia Jackson, U.K.
Website Coordinator Jorge Luis González, London
Ordinary Member Michele Beiny-Harkins, New York
Ordinary Member Helen Jacobsen, London
Ordinary Member Joanna Gwilt, London
Founder Lady Davson, U.K.

‘Sèvres Plates and Services of the

18th Century’ by David Peters:
The Second Edition
The French Porcelain Society is proud to be assisting in the publication of the second edition of this important work.
Since its publication in 1997 in seven volumes it has become the indispensible tool for the understanding of Sèvres
services and since then David Peters has made numerous important additions and revisions. When first published by
David Peters as a non-profit making exercise it was sold for £120 per set. 100 copies were printed. Subject to the quotes
we get from publishers we hope to keep it to approximately the same price. David Peters has generously said that in the
event of any profit being made it can go towards the French Porcelain Society but we do intend to keep the price as low
as we feel practical. We anticipate publication this year.

We intend to print a limited number and to help us with our planning we ask that anyone who is interested in
ordering a copy should contact Errol Manners at: [email protected]

Dates for your diary Full events listings follow on next page
February Friday 28th February 2014, 6-8 pm
Tour of ‘Deception: Ceramics and Imitation’, Victoria & Albert Museum

March Thursday 20th March 2014, 5.30-8.30 pm

Doccia in England: an evening to celebrate the Amici di Doccia’s study of Doccia porcelain in the
Victoria & Albert Museum, Bonham’s
Friday 21st March 2014, 11 am-1 pm
Handling Session of Doccia Porcelain, Victoria & Albert Museum

April Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th April 2014

FPS visit to Ireland, organized by Dame Rosalind Savill

June Tuesday 17th June 2014

FPS Study Day: Sèvres and China (11 am-5.30 pm)
AGM, Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue annual lecture, and dinner (8 pm-11 pm)
Thursday June 19th and Friday June 20th 2014
FPS Summer Outing to Harewood and Chatsworth
Forthcoming Events
Tour of ‘Deception: Ceramics and Imitation’, with Catrin Jones, exhibition curator
Time: Friday 28th February 2014, 6-8 pm
Cost: Free
Location: Victoria & Albert Museum, please meet at the entrance on Cromwell Road

Catrin Jones, Assistant Curator and FPS Committee member, will lead a tour of her exhibition Deception: Ceramics and
Imitation, which closes on 16 March 2014. The display showcases a thousand years of clay masquerading as vegetables, birds,
metalware, lacquer and textiles created to delight and surprise. Following our tour and discussions, we will join the curator
for dinner at a local restaurant, to be confirmed.
Members wishing to join the tour and dinner should contact Patricia Ferguson (07708099114 or [email protected])

Doccia in England: an evening to celebrate the Amici di Doccia's study of Doccia porcelain in the V&A
Time: Thursday 20th March 2014, 5:30-8:30 pm (reception 5:30-6:15 pm; lectures from 6:15-8:30 pm)
Cost: £15. To reserve a place please visit www.thefrenchporcelainsociety.com/events
Location: Bonham’s, 101 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1SR
Organized by The French Porcelain Society, London, and the
Associazione Amici di Doccia (Friends of Doccia association),
Florence, with Errol Manners, Chairman of the French Porcelain
Society, John Winter, Chairman of the Amici di Doccia, Livia
Frescobaldi Malenchini, Vice President of the Amici di Doccia,
and Oliva Rucellai, Curator of Museo Richard-Ginori della
Manifattura di Doccia. Copies of the Quaderni devoted to the
V&A collection will be available for sale on the evening.
Lectures
-‘Introduction’
Errol Manners, Chairman of the French Porcelain Society
-‘Arthur Lane and the Study of Italian Porcelain’
John Mallet, Former Keeper of Ceramics, Victoria & Albert
Museum
-‘The major English holdings of Doccia wares (British Museum and
Victoria & Albert Museum) - some thoughts as to why the two collections
are so very different’
John Winter, Chairman of the Amici di Doccia
-‘Doccia Porcelain at the Victoria and Albert Museum’
Livia Frescobaldi Malenchini, Vice President of the Amici di
Doccia, and Oliva Rucellai, Curator of Museo Richard-Ginori
della Manifattura di Doccia
Participants are welcome to join the speakers for a dinner after the lectures. To reserve a place or for further details, please
contact [email protected] or 07708099114

Doccia Porcelain Handling Session at the Victoria & Albert

Museum
Time: Friday 21st March 2014, 11 am-1 pm
Cost: £20. Numbers are limited, to reserve a place please visit
www.thefrenchporcelainsociety.com/events
Location: Ceramics Study Gallery, Room 139, 6th Floor,
Victoria & Albert Museum

With Livia Frescobaldi Malenchini, Vice President of the Amici di Doccia,

Oliva Rucellai, Curator of Museo Richard-Ginori della Manifattura di Doccia,
and other authors of the Quaderni, along with Rebecca Wallis and Susan
Newell, of the V&A.
Forthcoming Events
FPS Study Day: Sèvres and China
Time: Tuesday 17th June 2014, 11 am-5:30 pm
Location: ART ANTIQUES LONDON, The Albert Memorial and Kensington Gardens
Cost: £40 FPS Members (£65 Non-members); includes Fair entrance
Speakers to include Dame Rosalind Savill, John Whitehead, and others.

AGM, Annual Geoffrey de Bellaigue Lecture, and Dinner

Time: Tuesday 17th June 2014, 6:30-8 pm, followed by Dinner 8-11 pm
Speaker: Joanna Gwilt, author of Vincennes and Early Sevres Porcelain: From the Belvedere Collection.
See page 9 for further information on this publication.
Full event details to follow.

FPS Summer Outing to Harewood and Chatsworth

Thursday 19th June and Friday 20th June 2014
We will have the opportunity to view the exhibition, ‘In Pursuit of the Exquisite, Royal Sèvres: From Versailles to Harewood’,
curated by Dame Rosalind Savill. See page 13 for further details on the exhibition.
Full event details to follow.

Membership
Membership Secretary Anne Leeper introduces herself
I am a mother of four and once the children were of school
age I was able to develop my own interests. I helped firstly
with the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts,
serving at a local (West Wycombe), regional and national
level. Whilst on the NADFAS Education Committee I set
up a series of study days at the Wallace Collection. One
notable challenge was organising the teams of volunteers
to dust all the books in the Royal Library at Windsor
Castle after the fire in November 1992. Later I was the
Buckinghamshire County Representative for the Art Fund,
which involved raising funds to save works of art for the
nation through visits to places of interest, such as private
collections. At the same time I became a guide and lecturer
at Waddesdon Manor, which I did for twenty years. Recently
I finished six years as Chairman of the Friends and Patrons
of the Buckinghamshire County Museum. I am a founding
committee member of the Oxford Ceramics Group, which
is celebrating its first ten years over the coming year.
A year ago I was asked to help with the Membership of the
FPS. It has been a busy time but enjoyable being in touch
with so many members; and working with our treasurer
Georgie McPherson has been great. All of the members of
the FPS committee have full-time jobs and yet they find time
to do so much for the Society in their various capacities. I am the UK can use a Standing Order through your bank. We
full of admiration for them. would like to have your subscriptions paid within the first
But the committee needs your help too. In order for the Society three months of the year, and would remind you that anyone
to run efficiently, it is essential that you, our members, pay your wishing to attend an FPS event or to receive the FPS Journal
annual subscriptions on time. We have made it so easy for you must be a member in good standing, having paid the current
with three alternatives: you can either send a cheque in pounds year’s membership dues. For members feeling particularly
sterling or in US dollars; you can pay with your credit or debit generous, please remember that the FPS is a registered
cards (Visa, Mastercard or Eurocard) using Worldpay via our charity and welcomes all donations, which are applied to the
website, www.thefrenchporcelainsociety.com; or members in Publication Fund for the production of the Journal.
Anne Leeper
Some Remarks on a Sèvres Cafetière
Elephant
Bet McLeod on a curious purchase by the Duke of Hamilton at the International Exhibition, 1862
partakes of a pale chocolate tint, which changes to a pinkish
tone when viewed in a particular light'.2 There are a number
of archival references to the model in 1862: the production
cost was 90.32 francs, and its sale cost was 120 francs.3 The
gilder, Pine, was paid 10 francs for each example, and worked
on 8 pieces between April, October and November.4 Nine
examples, one gilded by Charpentier, were made prior to
the Exhibition, but it is not known how many were actually
sent to London, nor of which colour. Six pieces were sold,
each at 120 francs, including the example in a lavender
ground that was purchased by the 'Musée Kensington'.5 The
other purchasers, aside from the duke, were a Mr. Nadier, a
Madame Woodgate and a Lady [?V]uherwell, who bought
two. The colours of the models sold is not recorded.
The South Kensington Museum would have purchased
the cafetière as a significant example of inventive design
and accomplished technique: the other purchasers, and
subsequently their intentions, have not been identified. It is
worth remarking that the duke was the only member of the
aristocracy known to have acquired this model. Was there a
specific reason for the purchase? The duke does seem to have
been intrigued by works in imitation of other cultures, but
Cafetière in the form of an Elephant head, Sèvres, 1862. an interest in contemporary design is not readily apparent.
© The Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1994-2-1a,b. The author suggests it was perhaps purchased as an item
Purchased with the Elizabeth Wandell Smith Fund, the John T. Morris of curiosity, or, as an alternative, a gift for his son. The
Fund, and the John D. McIlhenny Fund, 1994. first record in the Hamilton archives is found in the 1876
Hamilton Palace inventory, when the cafetière was placed
William, 11th Duke of Hamilton (1811-1863), was the in a minor bedroom.6 The cafetière was Lot 1703 in the
most significant member of the family to collect European historic 1882 sale of the contents of Hamilton Palace and
ceramics. Among a number of unusual items of Sèvres in his sold for the paltry sum of £2.12.6. to W. Kean. Described
collection was a Cafetière Eléphant. The image above shows as a 'MODERN SEVRES TEAPOT', it would seem that its
an example of this type. At the International Exhibition intrinsic value and immense charm was not fully appreciated
in London in 1862, 'M. le duc Vermilton' bought one then as it is now.
'Cafetière Eléphant' from the Sèvres display for 120 francs
on 21 November.1 The author's attribution of 'Vermilton' to The author received a French Porcelain Society bursary
Hamilton is based on documentary evidence. The Hamilton for research at the Sèvres archives, and wishes to thank the
archive shows, firstly, that the duke did own one example Chairman, Committee and members for this support. She
of the Cafetière Eléphant, and secondly, the Sèvres archive also acknowledges with gratitude the assistance of Donna
reveals that the entry immediately following 'Vermilton' Corbin, Coralie Coscino, Judith Crouch, Virginie Desrantes,
describes a minor purchase of a teacup for 22 francs by 'M. Catrin Jones, Isabel Laurin, Tamara Préaud and Hilary Young
Le Vicomte d'hamilton', the future 12th duke. There can be in the research for this work. It is an extract adapted from
no doubt then that the 'duc Vermilton' is in fact the 11th her PhD thesis, ‘European Ceramics in the Collections of
Duke of Hamilton. the Dukes of Hamilton 1720-1920’.
The Cafetière Eléphant is an extraordinary model, 1. Sèvres – Cité de la Céramique, Archives: Vz 10, ‘Ventes faites au comptant
renowned for the originality of its form, the excellence of l’Exposition Universelle de Londres en 1862’, 223
its decoration, and above all its whimsical humour. It was 2. J.B. Waring, Masterpieces of Industrial Art and Sculpture at the International
designed and decorated by Louis-Marc Solon (1835-1913), Exhibition 1862, 3 vols, vol I, pl. 12
3. SCCA: Vr’, 1 sèrie, vol. I, 147; Vr’, 3 sèrie, vol. III, 280
who worked as the principal practitioner of the pâte-sur-pâte
4. SCCA: Vj’ 68 [1862], 54-55
technique at Sèvres between 1857 and 1870. The model was 5. V&A, Inv. 8055-1862. Purchased for £4.16.
singled out for comment in 1862 by Waring: 'in the present 6. 1876 Inventory of Hamilton Palace: Hamilton Estate Papers 4551: 207,
collection, various novelties were to be seen... in the same No. 2 Bed Room, China in Marqueterie Cabinets, ‘Sevres [with a drawing
celadon style were to be remarked a specially clever design of of a crowned ‘N’] A Teapot, Sea Green with gold lines representing an
elephant’s head’.
a coffee-pot, in the shape of an elephant's head. The body Bet McLeod
Taking another look at late 18th
and 19th-century Sèvres
Rebecca Wallis on a study session with John Whitehead held at the V&A in October 2013
Sèvres factory was nationalised and began producing patriotic
wares. Symbols of the Republic depicted on this cup and
saucer include a fasces (a bundle of bound rods surrounding
an axe or spear, representing ancient Roman power and
jurisdiction), a Phrygian cap (liberty) and the revolutionary
flag (tricolore), triangular stonemason’s or carpenter’s level
(representing equality and justice) and oak leaves (civic virtue
and force). This cup and saucer was an early purchase for the
South Kensington Museum (later V&A), bought for £5 in
1856 when the collections were at Marlborough House.
Empire style
Moving into the early 19th century the V&A has a relatively
small but very fine collection of Sèvres from the period.
FPS members had a rare opportunity to handle a plate
Plate 1: Cup & Saucer, museum number 3617&A-1856 from the ‘Egyptian Service’ of 1810-12 (museum number
An enthusiastic group joined us at the V&A on Thursday 17 C.124:35-1979; plate 2). This plate is one of 72 that were
October and we showed a fine selection of the Museum’s commissioned with views of Egypt, one of the greatest
collection of Sèvres porcelain from the Revolutionary examples of French porcelain to survive from the Empire
period through to 1900. Late 18th and 19th-century Sèvres period. Comprising elaborate dinner wares and architectural
productions were incredibly wide ranging: from Neoclassical centrepieces, the service was commissioned by the Empress
to Art Pottery and everything in between. The changing artistic Josephine, partly as a divorce present from Napoleon, but
tastes and fashions throughout this period were reflected and was rejected as too severe. The service, then valued at 36,300
at times driven by the Sèvres Factory. The original impetus francs, remained at the factory until 1818 when it was given by
had been given in 1800 with the appointment of the new Louis XVIII to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for
director Alexandre Brongniart who stayed until his death in his assistance in helping to restore the Bourbon monarchy.
1847. His role was to be capital in all areas, both artistic and Today the remaining service is displayed at Apsley House,
technical, and he was also responsible for the foundation of London. The plates’ views are from illustrations by Vivant
the museum next to the factory. This piece will explore a few Denon for the published description of his journey to Egypt
highlights of the pieces handled by the FPS members. during Bonaparte’s 1798 campaign, Voyage dans la Basse et la
Revolutionary symbols Haute Egypte (1802). Denon was an artist, curator and author
We started the session in the late-18th century with a gobelet who worked in Italy and France. He was Napoleon’s Minister
litron (3rd size) and soucoupe (museum number 3617&A-1856; of Arts and first director of the Musée Napoléon (Louvre)
plate 1) decorated with trophies painted in enamels by J.- (1802-15). In 1786 Denon sold a number of classical and
B. Tandart and gilded by Jean Chauvaux on a bleu nouveau Etruscan vases from his private collection to Louis XVI that
ground, 1794. During the French Revolution, which brought were added to the Sèvres factory reference collection. These
about a disastrous drop in sales of luxury porcelain, the vases and Denon’s publication provided the inspiration
for two editions of this Sèvres service. The first Egyptian
service was given by Napoleon to Alexander I of Russia in
1808 (today housed in the The State Museum of Ceramics,
Kuscovo, Russia). This plate, entitled ‘Statues dites de Memnon;,
has a central scene of the statue of Amenhotep III at Luxor,
taken from Denon’s published prints. The scene was painted
by J.-F.-J. Swebach Desfontaines at Sèvres, the gilding was by
Micaud fils and the borders designed by Alexandre-Théodore
Brongniart, architect and father of the factory director
Alexandre Brongniart.
Next, a cup and saucer (museum number 3431&A-1853; plate
3) made 1813-1815. The imagery of the Imperial regime was
characterised by strong Neoclassical styles, drawing parallels
with Napoleon’s rule and the power of ancient Rome. Military
imagery such as the classical laurel wreaths (honour and
victory) and cornucopia are combined on this cup and saucer
Plate 2: ‘Egyptian Service’ plate, museum number C.124:35-1979 with opulent gilding. The butterfly (here a Marsh Fritillary
 was therefore modelled before 1814 and the plaques added
to satisfy the new Monarchy. One has been retained on the
tray (the others are in storage). The service was bought for
the Museum in 1856 for £30 from ‘The Collection of the
Duchesse de Berri’.

Plate 3: Cup and saucer, museum number 3431&A-1853

butterfly Euphydryas aurinia), symbolising both Psyche and
the soul, was a recurrent motif on Imperial commissioned
decorative arts. The Sèvres factory had produced tablewares
with similar butterfly motifs from around 1803. An earlier
vase design with butterflies, executed in a similar manner, has
also been attributed to Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart. His
son, the director, was a devoted naturalist, studying fossils
and insects and it is possible that he encouraged the use
of such motifs in the designs. In 1809 Sèvres delivered the
‘Marly Rouge’ service, again with central butterfly motifs, to
the Chateau Fontainebleau for Napoleon’s use. The cup and
saucer was acquired in 1853, when the Museum bought a
wide variety of ceramic wares from the collection of the late
James Bandinel, former superintendent of the slave trade
department of the Foreign Office. Plate 5: Vase Adalaide, museum number 467-1844
Historicism
We looked at an enamelled hard-paste porcelain Vase
Adalaide (museum number 467-1844; plate 5) designed by
Jean-Charles-François Leloy. This shape of vase was first
produced in 1840, and this example was bought by the
Museum in 1844, presumably as an example of the excellence
of French design. The decoration imitates French enamels
on copper made at Limoges in the 1500s, an early example
of Renaissance revivalism at Sèvres.
The Louis-Phillipe service ordinaire de Fontainebleau demonstrates
the return to a tradition of the ancien régime which began to
re-establish itself from the First Empire onwards. Louis-
Phillipe commissioned Sèvres to execute a dinner service
for each of his official residences, as well as those for his
Plate 4: Tea service, museum number 3579:1to 8-1856 private houses. These were in addition to the table services
An amazing tea service (museum number 3579:1to 8-1856; he commissioned for the different divisions of royal
plate 4) was exhibited at Sèvres in early 1815, and delivered administration. The Renaissance style of the Fontainebleau
to Louis XVIII when he visited the factory in 1816 at a service, commissioned in 1836, is in keeping with the
cost of 2,995 francs. Later it was apparently given to the architectural style of the palace and is a wonderful example
Duchesse de Berri, whose inventory stamp is present on the of decorative design. However; collectors note: as previously
back of the tray. The decoration is exquisitely painted by J.- explained by Tamara Préaud, this service was frequently
C. Develly and gilded by P.L. Micaud. They depict scenes copied later in the 19th century. In the V&A there are four
from La Fontaine’s Fables including ‘Le loup et le chien’, ‘Le examples of wares that at first glance appear to be from
lion et le moucheron’ and ‘Le coq et le renard’. The scenes were service. The images of two of the plates (museum numbers
not taken from the popular print sources of the day but C.23 & 24-2007; plates 6 and 7) show the differences between
instead entirely ‘composés et executes par Develly’. Eight imperial the Sèvres originals and later Paris or Limoges porcelain
eagles on the tray’s border were covered with silver-gilt pieces. The later piece (plate X) has fake marks for 1840.
plaques stamped with the French royal arms: presumably it The Sèvres soup plate, with marks for 1847 (the service
Taking another look at late 18th
and 19th-century Sèvres

Plate 6: Plate from Louis-Philippe service, museum number C.24-2007 Plate 7: Later copy of Sèvres original, museum number C.23-2007
continued to be produced by the factory as required) has had close ties with Sèvres during the 19th century with a
reinforcement rings on the base, which were in use by Sèvres number of artists moving across the Channel to work in
during this period. The decoration is different on both plates: Stoke-on-Trent including Louis Marc Emanuel Solon.
the Sèvres soup bowl has much more subtle colouring and In his 34 years at Minton, Solon refined and developed
is closer in execution to an example in the Museum of Fine the pâte-sur-pâte technique there, training a small group of
Arts Boston. assistants who continued his work. Minton, like Sèvres, had
Another interesting example from the period is a beaker a study collection for the factory workers to reference when
and cover of 1857, the delicate pâte-sur-pâte decoration designing and decorating.
depicting sea-beasts was executed by Leopold-Jules-
Joseph Gély (museum number C.293&A-1921; plate 8).
Interestingly this beaker was formerly in the collection of
Colin Minton Campbell, Director of Minton & Co. Minton

Plate 8: Pâte-sur-pâte beaker, museum number C.293&A-1921 Plate 9: Vase Ly, museum number 173-1881
 When is Sèvres not Sèvres?
We also examined late-19th-century pieces often referred
to as being made by the factory due to the painted marks
for ‘Sèvres’ on the reverse. A plate (museum number 486-
1896; plate 11) made around 1890, painted with foliate Iznik
inspired decoration by Albert-Louis Dammouse (1848-
1926), was listed as manufactured by Sèvres from the point
of acquisition by the Museum in 1880 when purchased for
£1.19s. 8d. from Messrs Berguin & Varangier. Dammouse
was born at Sèvres, Paris, the son of a modeller and decorator
at the factory, where he had an early apprenticeship. In about
1892, he established his own studio-workshop there, with
his brother Edouard-Alexandre, after lengthy experience in
other potteries. Dammouse specialised in delicately-drawn
decoration inspired by patterns and images from the Far and
Middle East, very fashionable in the late 1890s. Dammouse
made his own wares but probably also bought in ‘blanks’
from the nearby Sèvres factory. In the case of this plate,
on closer examination and discussion with the group, we
concluded the piece was entirely Dammouse workshop, a
very fine piece in its own right but something for Sèvres
purists to be aware of.
Plate 10: Vase with flambé glaze, museum number 54-1885

Asian influence
A porcelain shape designed by J. Peyre or J.-P.-M. Dieterle
in 1849, the Vase Ly was in the catalogue of the Paris 1855
Exposition. It was named after the missionary, R.P. Ly, who
published influential studies on Chinese porcelain. Peyre was
dessinateur-en-chef at Sèvres and responsible for a range of
classic forms which lent themselves particularly well to rich
decorations needing a simple background shape. This 1869
Chinois Ly example has particularly rich decoration by A-J
Goddé (museum number 173-1881; plate 9). This vase was
given to the South Kensington Museum in 1881 by Mons. Le
Ministre de l’Instruction Publique et des Beaux-Arts as part
of an official exchange of gifts between Britain and France.
The prolific Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, art director at
Sèvres from 1875 to 1887, designed several forms inspired by
ancient Greece, some with Renaissance-style embellishments
and East-Asian inspired decoration. A vase with flambé glaze Plate 11: Plate, museum number 486-1896
and ormolu mounts was designed in 1880 by Carrier-Belleuse As always study sessions like these are incredibly rewarding
(museum number 54-1885; plate 10). The combination of for all participants and we would like to thank the FPS
classical shape and Chinese-inspired glaze is not unusual members for generously sharing their knowledge with the
for Sèvres at this period as the new hard paste porcelain curatorial staff. Our thanks also go to Tamara Préaud for
developed by the chemists, Charles Lauth and Charles showing John Whitehead the relevant documents for these
Vogt, withstood much higher temperatures allowing for this pieces in the Sèvres archive.
decoration. The first successful firings with iron-based flambé All the pieces listed are catalogued, photographed and can be
glazes were announced in 1883. Again this was given as a viewed online along with over 30,000 other ceramics from
diplomatic gift in 1885. the V&A at http://collections.vam.ac.uk/.
Rebecca Wallis

New Publication
Vincennes and Early Sèvres Porcelain: From the Belvedere Collection, by Joanna Gwilt
Drawing from the V&A and Belvedere collections, which include rare early pieces of these two factories, the book traces
virtually every step in the development of the first Vincennes manufactory in 1740, documenting its success in overcoming
technical and artistic challenges and its rivalry with other European manufactories.
A leaflet with further details of this V&A publication is enclosed with this newsletter.
Joanna Gwilt will be delivering the Annual Geoffrey de Bellaigue Lecture on Tuesday 17th June 2014.
Musée Marmottan Monet
Howard Coutts reviews the exhibition ‘Les Soeurs de Napoléon: Trois destins italiens’ at the Parisian museum
One of the great lesser known museums in Paris (‘lesser’ in
the sense that it is the same city as the Louvre, the musée
d’Orsay and many other national museums) is the beautiful
and atmospheric musée Marmottan Monet on the edge
of the centre, in the beautiful district of Passy beyond the
Eiffel Tower and the musée Balzac in the rue Raynouard.
Like the musée Jacquemart-André and the musée Nissim de
Camondo, it has the atmosphere and situation of a private
house, but with collections of world interest and importance.
It was founded by Jules and Paul Marmottan in the late 19th
century on the site of an aristocratic pavilion that gave onto
the old Ranelagh gardens, a French equivalent of the London
pleasure gardens of the same name. They filled in the house
with the result of a lifetime of collecting, but with a special
interest in the fine and decorative arts of the Napoleonic
era. There is an outstanding collection of Paris porcelain
of the early 19th century. A piece to make all FPS members
green with envy is the extraordinary Sèvres porcelain clock
of 1813-21 from the collection of the duchess of Berry, a
biscuit and enamelled porcelain creation that towers above
the spectator, with a rotating circular dial painted with scenes
of midday from across cities of the world. It replaced a
dial painted with scenes from the life of Napoleon at the
Restauration in 1814-15.
Since the Second World War, it has proved a magnet for
major gifts and bequests, including a remarkable collection
of medieval illuminations and cuttings bequeathed by
Georges Wildenstein in 1963, and several great collections of Cup in the form of the head of Elisa Bonaparte, Grand Duchess of
Impressionist paintings, including those of Victorine Donop Tuscany. Hard-paste porcelain with twisted rope handle at the back,
unglazed on the face and neck; height 9.5 cm; unmarked
de Monchy (which includes the key work, ‘Impression: Provenance: Susan Davidson, Ridley Hall [label on the base]
Sunrise’ by Claude Monet of 1872-3); the remaining Probably Paris or Doccia (Italy) Bowes Museum X.3510
contents of Monet’s studio, bequeathed by his son in 1966,
and paintings bequeathed by the family of Berthe Morisot. Elisa, one a fine enamelled piece from Nast, with a coat of
These provide a more personal insight into the movement arms on the saucer, which was subsequently copied at Doccia
than is often gained in nationally formed collections. in Florence. Another, a cup literally in the shape of her head,
The current exhibition at the museum, Les Soeurs de Napoléon: was one of a small number made at Doccia from 1813-1818.
Trois destins italiens (3rd October 2013-26 January 2014) Their example was plain biscuit, but gilded on the interior.
draws on the extensive collection of Napoleonic portraits This rang a bell with me, and when I got back to The Bowes
and decorative arts in the collection, supplemented by some Museum I found another example in our store, but without
significant loans. The sisters were respectively Elisa (1777- the gilding and unmarked, and understandably without a
1820), Grand Duchess of Tuscany; Pauline (1780-1825), firm attribution. At first I assumed it was also from Doccia,
wife of Prince Camille Borghèse, and Caroline (1782-1839), with a glazed rather than gilded interior, but its larger size
Queen of Naples. Apart from the portraits, there were (9.5 cm as opposed to 8.3cm), and glazing on the top and
numerous items of furniture, silver, ceramics and glass bottom (hair and collar), might suggest another factory, and
would attract the interest of FPS members, especially the I wonder if it is a Paris example, of a model that could have
Sèvres table and dessert service made for Elisa in 1809, and been sent to Doccia for copying? Our example was probably
decorated with symbols of the Classical gods painted in a acquired in Paris in the 1860s, and entered the museum with
‘blue agate’ ground. This contrasted with the flowery Paris the death of Susan Davidson (John Bowes’ cousin) in 1878.
porcelain service inscribed with the initials of Pauline. I doubt that it is a copy by Samson of Paris at this early
Caroline perhaps was offered the best present of all: a déjeuner collecting date.
in a case painted with views of the countryside around Literature: Maria Teresa Caracciolo, Les Soeurs de Napoléon Trois destins
Sèvres, offered to her by her Imperial brother in 1814, but italiens, Paris2013 (quoting Andreina d’Agliano, Lusso ed eleganza. La
porcellana francese a Palazzo Pitti e la manifattura Ginori (1800-1830).
never received as she and her husband had by then betrayed Florence, 2013, no.28 p.142), citing five Doccia examples, all (?) unglazed
him by forming an alliance with Austria. with gilded interiors.
Of interest too are two cups and saucers with the image of Howard Coutts
New Acquisitions
A series of items with royal provenance are acquired for the Palace of Versailles

The palace of Versailles has acquired a number of Sèvres

pieces with royal provenance. Last February, three green
ground vases painted by Dodin, purchased new in 1772 by
madame Victoire, daughter of Louis XV, were bought from
Dalva Brothers, Inc., New York. On 30th September 2013,
they were joined up with two vases ‘flacon à corde’, generously
lent by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to form the original
five-piece garniture, now displayed in their historic location in
her bedroom at Versailles. A vase ‘pendule’ with a blue ground,
bought by Louis XVI in 1777 for his new bathroom in
Versailles, was bought last July in London. Other acquisitions
include a glass cooler from the 1781 service ‘à perles et barbeaux’
for queen Marie-Antoinette in, and a pot à jus from the service
‘à frise riche’ of Gustav III of Sweden (1784).
Vincennes porcelain at Lydiard
Tregoze, the country home of
‘Mylord Bolingbroke’
Sophie Cummings, Curator, Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, Bruce Hedge, Museum Volunteer, and
Patricia Ferguson
XV service, was discovered by David Peters in the Royal
Collection (RCIN 59358 & 59302).2 Also in September, Lord
Bolingbroke purchased four vases ‘pot pourri Pompadour’, two
of which Adrian Sassoon catalogued with the provenance in
the J. Paul Getty Museum (84.DE.3).3
The two beakers and saucers were part of a set of four beakers
and five saucers that appeared on the London art market in
2003. The straight tapering beakers are the standard gobelet
‘à la Reine’, but ordered without handles. They were produced
in two sizes, of which the Lydiard beakers are the larger
size (3 1/4 inches; 8.2 cm high). The simple, inexpensive
decoration of polychrome painted naturalistic flower sprays,
after Meissen’s deutsche Blumen pattern, have burnished
dentil gold rims. Each piece is marked in blue enamel with
interlaced L’s, one beaker has the date letter ‘B’ for 1754-55,
Lydiard House, Swindon whilst the other beaker and both saucers have the date letter
Lydiard House, on the outskirts of Swindon, is home to ‘C’ for 1755-56. The ‘C’ pieces have the painter’s mark of a
two rare Vincennes porcelain beakers and saucers (‘grands
gobelets sans anses et soucoupes’) acquired from Adrian Sassoon,
London, in 2006 by the Friends of Lydiard Park. They
were once part of the large collection of French porcelain
purchased by Frederick St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke
and 3rd Viscount St John (1732–87), which was sold in 1780,
along with his plate, paintings by George Stubbs and race
horses, in order to pay off gambling debts. While living in
Paris between 1753 and 1755, Lord Bolingbroke developed
a taste for Vincennes porcelain and was evidently influenced
by the orders of Louis XV. ‘Mylord Bolingbroke’, as he
was then described, appears six times in the Livre-Journal
of the Parisian marchand-mercier Lazare Duvaux: the earliest Vincennes gobelets sans anses et soupcoupes, 1754-6
reference was to a purchase on 23 August 1755 of ‘Un pot à heart for Antoine-Louis Fontelliau (active 1753-82), and the
l’eau & sa jatte ovale de Vincennes, 300 l.’ (no. 2221). other an unidentified painter’s mark of a scrolling ‘Z’ or ‘L’,
Svend Eriksen was the first only known on flower-painted pieces with this date letter.
to fully appreciate Lord Evidently, based on their date letters, the set represents the
Bolingbroke’s importance as product of two batches, 1754-5 and 1755-6.
an early English patron of the Adrian Sassoon was the first to identify these handleless
factory.1 Eriksen identified beakers and saucers among Lord Bolingbroke’s purchases
the magnificent ormolu- on 7 October 1755 of ‘Quatre grands gobelets, sans anses &
mounted ‘cuvette à masques’ soucoupes, à fleurs à 12l., 48l. (no. 2248).4 A year later on 20
with porcelain flowers on September 1756, he bought ‘Six grands gobelets sans anses &
tôle peint stems, now in the soucoupes, 90l.’ The pieces at Lydiard clearly match these
Cholmondeley Collection two descriptions. Lord Bolingbroke went on to acquire an
at Houghton Hall, Norfolk additional two sets of six handleless beakers and saucers (one
(seen by the Society in set apparently without saucers), painted with flowers in 1757
Viscount Bolingbroke June 2013) with the table (no. 2967) and 1758 (no. 3275), for a total of 22 beakers and
centre-piece, purchased by 16 saucers, assuming none were damaged or given away as
Bolingbroke on 20 September 1756: ‘un vase ovale à masque de gifts: incidentally, the 1757 purchase included two sucriers in
porcelain de Vincennes,… garni de branchages vernis imitant la nature the same pattern. The only other buyer of these handleless
& ornés des plus belles fleur assorties à chaque plante’ (no. 2590). The beakers recorded in the Livre-Journal was Louis XV himself,
accompanying bleu céleste dessert service, similar to the Louis who purchased ten in November 1754 and 12 without saucers
in December 1754 (nos. 1943 & 2006). Significantly, Tamara Room, also known as the ‘Diana Room’ after Bolingbroke’s
Préaud recorded that only forty-five handleless examples of wife, Lady Diana Spencer (1734-1808). They married in 1757
this form were ever produced.5 and later divorced, when she married Topham Beauclerk
The function of this rare form has not been identified and (1739-80). Diana was a porcelain designer in her own right,
was apparently a short-lived fashion at the manufactory. It creating designs for Wedgwood as well as painting and book
may have been intended for drinking ‘spaw’ (mineral) water illustrations, some of which are also on display in the room.
or even lemonade. ‘Waßerbecher’ with openwork cup-holder Lord Bolingbroke died in 1787, having been forced to
stands were sold by the Meissen factory in the 1730s and sell much of his prized collection of porcelain, most of
1740s and the Chelsea factory 1755 auction listed several his fastest racehorses and the family’s large property at
lots of ‘six round water cups and saucers’, though these are Battersea. However, his influence as a tastemaker should
usually identified as finger or mouth rinsing bowls. In 1784, not be overlooked. He was also one of the most important
François, duc de La Rochefoucauld observed in the English patrons of Stubbs, commissioning around 15 paintings,
counties that ‘after the sweets, you are given water in small many of which now grace some of the world’s finest galleries.
bowls of very clean glass in order to rinse out your mouth’. These two beakers and saucers, while seemingly modest
Alternatively, the king may have preferred to drink coffee or in comparison, are noteworthy as the earliest documented
other hot beverages from traditional beakers. examples of Vincennes porcelain purchased by an English
We have very little information about Lord Bolingbroke’s patron. http://www.lydiardpark.org.uk
porcelain collection. The St John family pulped several 1. Svend Eriksen, ‘Rare Pieces of Vincennes and Sèvres porcelain’, Apollo,
tonnes of important paper documents in the early 1940s January, 1968, pp. 34-39.
2. David Peters, Sèvres Plates and Services, vol. II, 2005, 56-1; see also Sir
to support the war effort. Fortunately, Peters identified the Geoffrey de Bellaigue, French Porcelain in the Collection of Her Majesty the
dessert service and additional lots of French porcelain in a Queen, 2009, cat. nos. 133 and 135 and ‘George IV and Quintin Crauford
London sale held at Messrs. Christie & Ansell on 9 and 10 a shared taste’, FPS Journal, III, 2007, p. 230.
February 1780. The cups and saucers may have been part of 3. Adrian Sassoon, Vincennes and Sèvres Porcelain: Catalogue of the Collections,
1991, cat. no. 3.
lot 65, on the second day’s sale, listed as ‘A superbe coffee set
4. For other purchases in that year see Errol Manners, ‘Some Continental
beautifully painted in flowers, containing 54 pieces’, sold to Influences on English Porcelain’, TECC, vol. 19, pt. 3, 2007, pp. 458-460.
the china dealer Thomas Morgan for £9.10.0. Today, Lydiard 5. Tamara Préaud, Porcelaines de Vincennes, Les Origines de Sèvres, 1977, p. 108.
House displays the beakers and saucers in its Dressing Patricia Ferguson

In Pursuit of the Exquisite: Royal

Sèvres from Versailles to Harewood
A forthcoming exhibition at Harewood House, Yorkshire, from 18th April–2nd November 2014
Following the Revolution and fall of the Bastille, France’s
finest wares were sold to the highest bidder, including
collections of Sèvres from the greatest families in France.
Beau was one of many British collectors who travelled to
Paris, and in London continued to expand his collection
through leading English dealers such as Robert Fogg and
Enoch Rittener. Beau’s collecting during this period is said
to have rivalled that of the Prince Regent (later King George
IV) with large sums being paid to Fogg over two decades
in the early part of the 19th century. After Beau’s death,
King George IV visited his collection, at his London home
in Hanover Square, and gave two blue ground flower vases
to the Lascelles family.
Now forming one of the most important groups of objects
in the Harewood Collection, the quality and breadth of
Marie-Antoinette Déjeuner, 1779. The tray is painted with a scene of a pieces is extremely rich with pieces previously belonging to
travelling entertainer with performing monkeys visiting a house or village, Queen Marie Antoinette, Madam de Pompadour and the
and the accompanying teacups are decorated with delicately painted scenes of Duc d’Orleans. More recently, there were pieces given by
children playing. It was gilded by Le Guay. The provenance of this service the French Government to Princess Mary and the 6th Earl
has been confirmed by an entry in the inventory of Château Saint Cloud of Harewood upon their marriage in 1922.
1794, taken after Marie-Antoinette’s execution.
This exhibition will be an opportunity to afford this unique
2014 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of the great collection with the attention it richly deserves. We are delighted
collector and Regency dandy Edward, Viscount Lascelles, the exhibition is being guest-curated by Dame Rosalind Savill.
known to his friends and family as ‘Beau’ Lascelles. Anna Dewsnap
Deception: Ceramics & Imitation
Catrin Jones on some illusionistic ceramics on show at the V&A until 16 March 2013

Selection of trompe l’oeil tablewares in the V&A’s collection Sweetmeat stand, Belleek Pottery, c.1868
Throughout history, potters have demonstrated the The natural world has inspired potters to create both
remarkable ability of ceramics to deceive the eye. From functional items and virtuoso sculptures. During the 16th
realistic recreations of shells, animals or foods, to imitations century, the French potter Bernard Palissy and his followers
of luxury materials including lacquer and bronze, Deception: cast snakes, fish, and lizards from life, creating ewers and
Ceramics and Imitation presents ceramics from the V&A’s dishes teeming with creatures on shell-encrusted rock
collections intended both to beguile and delight the viewer. backgrounds. From 1863, the Belleek pottery factory used its
Trompe l’oeil (French for ‘trick the eye’) tablewares shaped thin, lustrous porcelain body to create exuberant shell forms
as animals and other foodstuffs were the height of fashion in inspired by local marine life. Heather Park’s recent hand-built
Europe around 1750. The Chelsea porcelain factory produced forms capture the movement and texture of coral.
soup tureens modelled as life-sized hens or boar’s heads.
A swan tureen of 1755-6 was available with or without an
under-dish painted with pondweed. Confectionary and ices
shaped as fish, fruit and vegetables were placed in elaborate
and whimsical dessert table settings alongside tureens in the
form of cabbages, cauliflowers, asparagus, melons or figs.
These trompe l’oeil dishes would also have served to amuse
guests and stimulate conversation.

‘First shoots bowl’, Heather Park, 2006

Left: Dish, Mafra & Son, Portugal, c.1870. Right: Sweetmeat stand, Derby
Swan tureen, Chelsea Porcelain Factory, c.1755-6 porcelain factory, c.1760-5
 The prestige and cost of porcelain meant that these imitations
were luxury objects in their own right. The erstwhile tailor
and later collector, John Jones, acquired a large vase with
elaborate gilt-bronze snake mounts. It is said that he believed
the vase was made from marble when he purchased it, but
soon discovered that it was a unique Sèvres porcelain vase
of 1763 painted in imitation of marble, and refused the large
sums offered by other collectors. In 1882 Jones gave his
impressive collection of French decorative arts to the V&A.
At the other end of the spectrum, the large quantities of
ceramic coffee and tea wares imitating the patina and shapes
of polished silver that were made in Staffordshire during the
19th century provided an affordable alternative to the real
thing for aspiring consumers.
‘Cherries Jubilee’, Anna Barlow, 2012
Deception: Ceramics and Imitation also includes ceramics whose
sole purpose is to startle by virtue of their verisimilitude.
From a dish of peppers made in Alcora, Spain around 1770,
to contemporary artist Anna Barlow’s sculptures of melting
ice creams, potters have created plates of food that (once
fired in the kiln) will never fade or decay.
Potters have devised glazed and painted decoration that
masquerades as stone, metal, fabrics or wood. Porcelain
factories competed to create luxury teawares with innovative
decoration inspired by lavish silks and embroidery, semi-
precious stones, and even geological specimens viewed
under a microscope. Collectable from the outset, some 18th-
century connoisseurs acquired porcelain cups and saucers
with non-matching decoration, creating ‘harlequin sets’.
Vase ‘Choiseul’, Sèvres, 1763
By uniting ceramics from the 8th century to the present day,
Deception: Ceramics and Imitation shows how the creativity and
imagination of potters can still surprise and delight today.

Cups and saucers. Left: Sèvres, c.1782; right: France, c.1793-1800

Left: Coffee pot, Staffordshire, c.1820; right: Coffee pot, Meissen, c.1710-13
Cups and saucers. Left: Barr, Flight & Barr, c.1804-13; right: Cozzi
pottery factory, Venice, c.1780-1800

Left: Imitation lacquer bowl, China, 1736-95; right: Caneware teapot,

Staffordshire, c.1786-90
This exhibition was greatly enhanced by the generous loans from several
Cups and saucers. Left: Sèvres, c.1768; right: Sèvres, c.1780 FPS members, for which I am extremely grateful. Catrin Jones
Sotheby’s black museum
Patricia Ferguson on the Kiddell Collection of Fakes at Sotheby’s Insitute of Art
Programmes, invited FPS members to view The Kiddell
Collection of Fakes and Forgeries. The renowned Sotheby's
ceramics expert, A. J. B. (Jim) Kiddell (1894-1980), began
to form his collection of ‘fakes’ in the 1950s as training for
cataloguers. It is still used today as part of SIA's object-based
art education. Such is the collection’s repute, that the over-
subscribed event attracted FPS members from as far away
as Brussels. We were fortunate to have the perspicacious
Anton Gabszewicz on hand, who with the sagacious Errol
Manners, selected some of the more challenging pieces
covering a broad ceramic spectrum from the vaults, as well
as bringing some of their own deceptive objects. For the
French porcelain, Ros Savill and John Whitehead brilliantly
talked us through the history of 19th century fakery on 18th
century porcelain. Suspect Meissen objects were considered
by Nette Megens and Sebastian Kuhn, with baby Felix
FPS members examining the Kiddell Collection at Sotheby’s Institute of Art
avoiding any controversy by pretending to sleep. Best of
in November 2013
all were anecdotes of working with Jim, provided by Kate
In November, Jos Hackforth-Jones, Director of the Davson and others. Sotheby’s Institute of Art is keen to
Sotheby's Institute of Art, London, and Elisabeth Bogdan, hear of any stories about Jim Kiddell and the collection.
Course Leader, Decorative Art and Design Semester Please contact: [email protected]
Patricia Ferguson

FPS in Australia
Peter Burton on some recent gatherings of our Australian members
Ken bought along a pair of Sèvres sugar bowls ‘Sucrier
aigle et plateau’ which were part of a dessert service given
by Napoleon to Frederick I, King of Wurttemberg, in
December 1809. They have very heavy gilding with a leaf
and banded berry design. As Ken’s collection is a little later
than the interests of the other members it was quite a thrill
to handle these fabulous pieces with such a rich history.
Further information on Ken’s collection can be found at
www.frenchempirecollection.com. The Australian members
of the French Porcelain Society plan to meet again in April
and September 2014.

Members of the French Porcelain Society in Australia have

met on two occasions in the past twelve months. Richard
Deacon hosted the group on the 8th April and allowed us
to view his wonderful collection of Vincennes and Sèvres
porcelain. Richard has a wonderful breadth to his collection
and it is pleasing that he is still adding to it. He recently
installed the bulk of his collection into a new display area
which highlights the qualities of his pieces.
In September, the group met again at the home of Rhona
Clement for a show-and-tell session. As most of the members
had spent some time in Europe just prior to this meeting
there was plenty of discussion on the pieces that had been
recently acquired. One of our guests was Ken Richards who Pair of Sèvres sugar bowls ‘Sucrier aigle et plateau’, dated 1808 and 1809
has a significant collection of French Empire objects. Peter Burton
Please send contributions, reviews, and details of new acquisitions and forthcoming exhibitions to [email protected]