Lot Essay
In October 1807 Napoléon I commissioned a personal service for Fontainebleau, 'd'un genre tout particulier' to be decorated with scenes of special significance which brought back happy memories to him. (see Serge Grandjean, 'Un chef d'oeuvre de Sèvres, Le Service de l'Empereur', Art de France, no. II, 1962, p. 170 et seq). Twenty-eight subjects for reproduction were provided initially and between 1807 and 1810 there was continual correspondence between Napoléon's steward Daru and Alexandre Brongniart, director of the factory about the subjects and forms for the service.
The service was to be made in three parts, the sucriers come from the first part which was to have a 54 piece entrée and 125 piece dessert-service costing 43,680 francs, the price was amplified by the use of the newly fashionable 'chrome-green' ground (invented by the chemist Vauquelin and first used at Sèvres in 1802) and the richly gilt 'military' borders reminiscent of frogging, the second part was the 26 piece surtout-de-biscuit costing 17,840 francs and finally the 53 piece beau bleu cabaret à café costing 3,585 francs
The present sucrier was one of four listed in the factory records as 4 sucriers de table fond vert, cartel a vue d'Egypte, socle granit supporté par quatre tortues costing 430 francs each, they were individually the third most expensive component of the first part of the service
According to the factory records (MNS Archives, Registre Vj 16 (1809) and Vj 17 (1810)), the four sucriers were painted by Nicolas-Antoine Le Bel in 1809-10 from scenes in the Voyage dans la Haute et dans la Basse Egypt, published by D. Vivant Denon in 1802. The service took over two years to complete and was delivered on 27 March 1810 to the Tuileries just in time for Napoléon's second marriage to the Archduchess Marie-Louise daughter of Emperor Francis II of Austria on 2nd April. In 1815 Napoléon was deported to St. Helena, among items taken there for his use was this service. After his death his property was put into the care of the Comte de Montholon until Napoléon II turned sixteen when it was to be given to him. The precise history of the sucriers remains obcure until they were sold in 1873
For a detailed discussion of this service see Sotheby's New York sale 25 October 1991, lots 388-390
The service was to be made in three parts, the sucriers come from the first part which was to have a 54 piece entrée and 125 piece dessert-service costing 43,680 francs, the price was amplified by the use of the newly fashionable 'chrome-green' ground (invented by the chemist Vauquelin and first used at Sèvres in 1802) and the richly gilt 'military' borders reminiscent of frogging, the second part was the 26 piece surtout-de-biscuit costing 17,840 francs and finally the 53 piece beau bleu cabaret à café costing 3,585 francs
The present sucrier was one of four listed in the factory records as 4 sucriers de table fond vert, cartel a vue d'Egypte, socle granit supporté par quatre tortues costing 430 francs each, they were individually the third most expensive component of the first part of the service
According to the factory records (MNS Archives, Registre Vj 16 (1809) and Vj 17 (1810)), the four sucriers were painted by Nicolas-Antoine Le Bel in 1809-10 from scenes in the Voyage dans la Haute et dans la Basse Egypt, published by D. Vivant Denon in 1802. The service took over two years to complete and was delivered on 27 March 1810 to the Tuileries just in time for Napoléon's second marriage to the Archduchess Marie-Louise daughter of Emperor Francis II of Austria on 2nd April. In 1815 Napoléon was deported to St. Helena, among items taken there for his use was this service. After his death his property was put into the care of the Comte de Montholon until Napoléon II turned sixteen when it was to be given to him. The precise history of the sucriers remains obcure until they were sold in 1873
For a detailed discussion of this service see Sotheby's New York sale 25 October 1991, lots 388-390