.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
This encrier is inspired by Sèvres porcelain-mounted encriers, a model first conceived by the marchand-mercier Simon-Philippe Poirier. Arguably the earliest prototype, with Sèvres apple-green porcelain plaques d'écritoires painted with flowers by Jean-Baptiste Tandart dated 1761, is that in the Wallace Collection (Ros Savill, The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Sèvres Porcelain II, London, 1988, C498). As Savill commented, Poirier sold another example to Madame du Barry for 360 livres, with the plaques costing 126 livres and the inkstand approximately 234 livres.
An extremely closely related tôle encrier was sold from the collection of Jacques Doucet in Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 7-8 June 1912, lot 231. This latter example was inscribed du petit Dukerque, probably relating to the bijoutier Granchez, a native of Dunkerque who established his 'magazin curieux de marchandises françaises et étrangéres' in 1767.
An extremely closely related tôle encrier was sold from the collection of Jacques Doucet in Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 7-8 June 1912, lot 231. This latter example was inscribed du petit Dukerque, probably relating to the bijoutier Granchez, a native of Dunkerque who established his 'magazin curieux de marchandises françaises et étrangéres' in 1767.