Lot n° 208
Estimation :
30000 - 50000
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 38 640EUR
An 18th century Sèvres porcelain Greek column... - Lot 208 - Coutau-Bégarie
An 18th century Sèvres porcelain Greek column vase or fluted column vase circa 1770, recessed marks cd and probably R A gold decoration standing out on a white and celestial blue background, with important military trophies on the shoulder, including: cannon, shield, quiver, spears, trumpet and flags, some of which are regrafted with the royal symbols including the two intertwined L's, and the fleur-de-lis arms framed with palms and surmounted by a closed crown; the body in two and restored, the pedestal restored with crack, a restored chip to the neck, some retouching to the gold, small chips and wear
H. 50 cm.
THE FORM A preparatory drawing is preserved in the collections of the archives of the Musée national de Céramique de Sèvres; it almost completely reproduces not only the form but also the decorations of this model. This plate (Inv.2011.3.363) bears an annotation, a priori from the 19th century, "Vase Grec à colonne" and measures 65 x 35 cm; it is therefore very close to the actual size of the piece produced.
The first mentions of "Vase à colonnes" found in the Inventory of stocks of January 1, 1768, concern a mold and a model made in 1767. This new form would have been put into production very quickly until the end of the 18th century.
However, it is sometimes difficult to determine the exact date of delivery, since at that time the vases are often presented as "ornamental" vases, without any other precision, and at the same time forms with very similar names appear: "Vase à colonne", "Vase colonne", "Vase à colonnes rectifié", "Vase en colonne couverte", "Vase cannelé", or "Vase à colonne fluted" in particular.
For this form, are finally retained the names of "Vase with column" by Marcelle Brunet and Tamara Préaud (Sèvres, des Origines à nos jours, 1978), and of "Vase with fluted columns" by Rosalind Savill (The Wallace collection, 1988).
This example, bears two marks in hollow: cd and probably R. Used on soft porcelain and respectively for the periods 1754-81 and 1754-79, these marks are listed by Rosalind Savill in her publication The Wallace Collection; the first one perhaps for the modeller Michel-Dorothée Coudray or Charles Dupré, the second one probably for Roger, père.
THE DECOR Two main sources of inspiration can be evoked for the important decoration of military trophies present on the shoulder of this vase: Fantaisies Nouvelles 1738 (collection of engravings printed in Paris with creations by R. Charpentier, sculptor to the Roy, J. Dumont Le Romain, peintre ordinaire du Roi, J. de La Joüe, peintre ordinaire du Roy, and A. Watteau), and the Works of Gille Marie Oppenord, illustrator (Paris, 1749). These two publications present an infinite number of trophies, including military trophies, which are very similar in spirit to those represented on this vase, notably with the insertion of the royal arms. Nevertheless, none of the elements engraved in these publications are the model of those painted on this vase.
The decoration of this vase can be compared to two other pairs of vases. Firstly, a pair of "bottle" vases in the Huntington Collection dated 1767, with trophies in the same spirit above scenes painted by Dodin and set against a blue background. Another pair with gilding work, certainly even closer, is the pair of "banded and lion-headed" vases in the Wallace collections (Inv. XII.38/39); also, unfortunately unmarked, it is dated by Rosalind Savill to c. 1765-70. The decorators who mainly carried out gilding work during this period were Jean-Pierre Boulanger, senior, Etienne-Henri Le Guay, senior, Pierre-Antoine Méreaud, senior, Pierre-Nicolas Pierre, senior, and Henry-François Vincent. Unfortunately, the study of the registers corresponding to their work has not been conclusive.
This very characteristic setting could lead us to believe that it was delivered to the highest personage of the State, i.e. the King himself. Nevertheless, the examination of the numerous registers (of sales, and of decorators) could not lead to any precise conclusion.
The only pair of vases that could be related to this model and which appears in the 1792 inventory of the King's inner cabinets in Versailles (Archives nationales O/1/3356) does not have any matching dimensions either: "Pièce de la Pendule : 2 Vases de Porcelaine de Seves fond bleu clair a ornemens dorés garnis chacun de leurs couvercles, a boutons dorés et anses a anneaux de 24p. chacun sur 7p de Diamètre a 600 (livres)"
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