A PAIR OF SÈVRES PLATES FROM THE SERVICE GIVEN BY LOUIS XVI TO ARCHDUKE FERDINAND OF AUSTRIA, the centres painted with sprays of pink roses on a purple ground within a circular gilt line medallion within a border of 'pearls' and gilt beads on a purple band, the bleu celeste border with three oval reserves painted with cornflowers, roses and daisies within berried laurel garlands and broad gilt bands and palm fronds between a continuous band of gilt beads forming three circles enclosing flowering foliage, gilt line rims (very slight rubbing to rims), blue interlaced L marks, date letters hh for 1785, one with painter's mark of fleur-de-lys for Taillandier and the other with a y for Bouilliat père, one with gilder's mark 2000 for Vincent and the other with # for Chauvaux, one with incised 24, the other with 248N

Details

A PAIR OF SÈVRES PLATES FROM THE SERVICE GIVEN BY LOUIS XVI TO ARCHDUKE FERDINAND OF AUSTRIA, the centres painted with sprays of pink roses on a purple ground within a circular gilt line medallion within a border of 'pearls' and gilt beads on a purple band, the bleu celeste border with three oval reserves painted with cornflowers, roses and daisies within berried laurel garlands and broad gilt bands and palm fronds between a continuous band of gilt beads forming three circles enclosing flowering foliage, gilt line rims (very slight rubbing to rims), blue interlaced L marks, date letters hh for 1785, one with painter's mark of fleur-de-lys for Taillandier and the other with a y for Bouilliat père, one with gilder's mark 2000 for Vincent and the other with # for Chauvaux, one with incised 24, the other with 248N
24cm. diam. (2)

Provenance

Given by Louis XVI in June 1786 to Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, later Duke of Modena (1754-1806)

Lot Essay

These plates come from a very large service, given by Louis XVI to Marie-Antoinette's brother Ferdinand. It consisted of two hundred and eighty eight pieces and was intended to serve between twenty-four and twenty-eight people. The sales records describe the decoration of the service as 'fond bleu celeste, marguerites barbeaux et Roses" [Vy 10,f.45 v.-46r.].

The service also included fifty-three pieces of biscuit sculpture and small vases for the centrepiece of the table. Louis XVI also presented the Archduke with a number of other pieces, the total value of the gift was 24,073 livres.

Very few pieces from this dinner service are known. A pair of seaux à topettes in an English collection, a single plate in the Devonshire collection at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, and a pair of compotiers ovales in a French collection.

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