Lot Essay
These bleu céleste limaçons may be identifiable with those acquired by Madame du Barry from the marchand-mercier Simon-Philippe Poirier on 4 September 1770. Described as a
garniture de cheminée de trois pièces de porcelaine de France bleu céleste, montés en bronze doré d'or moulu
they cost the sum of 492 livres and were placed in the galerie of the château de Louveciennes
According to M. Christian Baulez, who has seen the inventories of 1772 and 1774, the garniture comprised three vases, amongst which were two 'pots pourris en coquille'. In 1774, however, one of the lids was broken and was sent back to Poirier 'à refaire'. Of the three recorded pairs in bleu céleste, that in the Forsyth Wickes collection (see: J. Munger et. al., The Forsyth Wickes Collection in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston 1992, pp. 184-6, no. 132) does not display any restoration to either of the covers, and that in the duc d'Aumont's collection (sold Paris, 12-21 December 1921, lot 229) is certainly not identifiable with Madame du Barry's limaçons, as they were retained by her until their sale in 1794. The Houghton pair can, therefore, be confidently identified with that supplied to Madame du Barry
Following the sale of 1794, they are not recorded again until an anonymous sale in Paris on 15 July 1799 by Paillet:
no. 26- 2 limaçons de porcelaine de Sèvres bleu céleste
The Sèvres factory retains the model for a pot à sucre or sucrier limaçon which, along with other items à limaçon, appears to have been popular in the early 1760's. T. Préaud and M. Brunet discuss this form of pot-pourri in Sèvres, Des origines à nos jours, Fribourg, 1978, pp. 82-83, pl. XXXII, in which they suggest that this form probably dates from 1763-1768. This is supported by the factory inventories which mention 4 limaçons in 1765 and 6 limaçons in 1766. The factory's accounts for sales to the marchand-mercier Simon-Philippe Poirier list nine limaçons for the period 1763-68 at either 48 or 60 livres each, dependant upon colour which is, unfortunately, not specified:-
1 Poirier 4ème quartier 1763 60 Livres
2 Poirier 1ère moitié 1764 49 livres
2 Poirier 2ème moitié 1764 60 livres
2 Poirier 2ème moitié 1766 60 livres
2 Poirier 1ère moitié 1768 48 livres
It is, however, possible that the term limaçon referred to other smaller items as the likely cost of this form of pot-pourri, even without mounts, must have been higher and that they perhaps appear in the accounts under unspecified 'pièces d'ornements'
Inspired by Chinese Kangxi porcelain shells, or lo-ssus, which were imported into France in considerable numbers in the eighteenth century, several Chinese examples are recorded. The celebrated connoisseur and propagandist of neo-classicism, the comte de Caylus, owned an unmounted pair of Chinese porcelain lo-ssus and a further Chinese pair, with Louis XV mounts, is in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore (see Sir Francis Watson, 'Mounted Oriental Porcelain', Exhibition Catalogue, Washington, 1986, p. 88, no. 30)
Of the Sèvres porcelain pot-pourri of this form, a number of pairs are recorded: a pair in bleu céleste is in the Forsyth Wickes Collection in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (see J. Munger et. al.., The Forsyth Wickes Collection in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, 1992, p. 184-6, no. 132); one pair in green and one pair in bleu nouveau remain at Houghton; a further pair in bleu nouveau, acquired by the 6th Earl of Coventry in Paris between 1763-8, were sold in these Rooms by the Trustees of the Croome Estates, 13 June 1991, lot 29; and a pair in bleu céleste were in the collection of the duc d'Aumont, sold in Paris 12-21 December 1782, lot 229. They were described as:-
TEXT OF SALE
and were purchased by Président Haudry for 126 livres (Acanthus Books, Le Cabinet du Duc d'Aumont, New York, 1986, p. 116)
It is fascinating to note that Horace Walpole owned a pair of 'turquoise' pot-pourri at Strawberry Hill which were described in George Robin's sale of the contents, 25 April - 24 May 1842, Eleventh day's sale, lot 81:-
A pair of Oriental turquoise blue China incense burners, in the form of snail-shells, mounted with or-molu, the feet and tops also representing snail-shells (Bought by the Earl of Charleville for #14-14s0d)
Although there remains some debate as to whether Walpole's limaçons were in fact Sèvres rather than oriental porcelain, he is certainly recorded as having purchased items from Poirier during his trips to Paris in the years 1765-7 and 1769. Unfortunately, the frontispiece engraving prevents any clarity of identification
A further pair of limaçons at Buckingham Palace, almost certainly acquired by George, Prince of Wales, later George IV, are illustrated in O. Brackett, English Furniture Illustrated, London, rev. ed., 1950, plate CCII
garniture de cheminée de trois pièces de porcelaine de France bleu céleste, montés en bronze doré d'or moulu
they cost the sum of 492 livres and were placed in the galerie of the château de Louveciennes
According to M. Christian Baulez, who has seen the inventories of 1772 and 1774, the garniture comprised three vases, amongst which were two 'pots pourris en coquille'. In 1774, however, one of the lids was broken and was sent back to Poirier 'à refaire'. Of the three recorded pairs in bleu céleste, that in the Forsyth Wickes collection (see: J. Munger et. al., The Forsyth Wickes Collection in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston 1992, pp. 184-6, no. 132) does not display any restoration to either of the covers, and that in the duc d'Aumont's collection (sold Paris, 12-21 December 1921, lot 229) is certainly not identifiable with Madame du Barry's limaçons, as they were retained by her until their sale in 1794. The Houghton pair can, therefore, be confidently identified with that supplied to Madame du Barry
Following the sale of 1794, they are not recorded again until an anonymous sale in Paris on 15 July 1799 by Paillet:
no. 26- 2 limaçons de porcelaine de Sèvres bleu céleste
The Sèvres factory retains the model for a pot à sucre or sucrier limaçon which, along with other items à limaçon, appears to have been popular in the early 1760's. T. Préaud and M. Brunet discuss this form of pot-pourri in Sèvres, Des origines à nos jours, Fribourg, 1978, pp. 82-83, pl. XXXII, in which they suggest that this form probably dates from 1763-1768. This is supported by the factory inventories which mention 4 limaçons in 1765 and 6 limaçons in 1766. The factory's accounts for sales to the marchand-mercier Simon-Philippe Poirier list nine limaçons for the period 1763-68 at either 48 or 60 livres each, dependant upon colour which is, unfortunately, not specified:-
1 Poirier 4ème quartier 1763 60 Livres
2 Poirier 1ère moitié 1764 49 livres
2 Poirier 2ème moitié 1764 60 livres
2 Poirier 2ème moitié 1766 60 livres
2 Poirier 1ère moitié 1768 48 livres
It is, however, possible that the term limaçon referred to other smaller items as the likely cost of this form of pot-pourri, even without mounts, must have been higher and that they perhaps appear in the accounts under unspecified 'pièces d'ornements'
Inspired by Chinese Kangxi porcelain shells, or lo-ssus, which were imported into France in considerable numbers in the eighteenth century, several Chinese examples are recorded. The celebrated connoisseur and propagandist of neo-classicism, the comte de Caylus, owned an unmounted pair of Chinese porcelain lo-ssus and a further Chinese pair, with Louis XV mounts, is in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore (see Sir Francis Watson, 'Mounted Oriental Porcelain', Exhibition Catalogue, Washington, 1986, p. 88, no. 30)
Of the Sèvres porcelain pot-pourri of this form, a number of pairs are recorded: a pair in bleu céleste is in the Forsyth Wickes Collection in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (see J. Munger et. al.., The Forsyth Wickes Collection in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, 1992, p. 184-6, no. 132); one pair in green and one pair in bleu nouveau remain at Houghton; a further pair in bleu nouveau, acquired by the 6th Earl of Coventry in Paris between 1763-8, were sold in these Rooms by the Trustees of the Croome Estates, 13 June 1991, lot 29; and a pair in bleu céleste were in the collection of the duc d'Aumont, sold in Paris 12-21 December 1782, lot 229. They were described as:-
TEXT OF SALE
and were purchased by Président Haudry for 126 livres (Acanthus Books, Le Cabinet du Duc d'Aumont, New York, 1986, p. 116)
It is fascinating to note that Horace Walpole owned a pair of 'turquoise' pot-pourri at Strawberry Hill which were described in George Robin's sale of the contents, 25 April - 24 May 1842, Eleventh day's sale, lot 81:-
A pair of Oriental turquoise blue China incense burners, in the form of snail-shells, mounted with or-molu, the feet and tops also representing snail-shells (Bought by the Earl of Charleville for #14-14s0d)
Although there remains some debate as to whether Walpole's limaçons were in fact Sèvres rather than oriental porcelain, he is certainly recorded as having purchased items from Poirier during his trips to Paris in the years 1765-7 and 1769. Unfortunately, the frontispiece engraving prevents any clarity of identification
A further pair of limaçons at Buckingham Palace, almost certainly acquired by George, Prince of Wales, later George IV, are illustrated in O. Brackett, English Furniture Illustrated, London, rev. ed., 1950, plate CCII