A Paris (Halley) ewer and basin

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A Paris (Halley) ewer and basin
the ewer of slender oviform outline and the basin of oval section, painted en grisaille in the Neoclassical style with profiles of young ladies interspersed with butterflies and flower-sprays suspending garlands of ferns and flowers and gilt with oval medallions and stylised scrolls within gilt rims, red script mark to base, the ewer -- 11in. (28cm.) high (hairline cracks) circa 1800-1817

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Lot Essay

Halley, later Lebon-Halley, were a firm of porcelain decorators in operation in the rue Montmartre between 1800 and 1822.

This ewer and basin were included in the Esposition International Urbaine de la Ville de Lyon which took place in Lyon between May and November of 1914. A letter written to the then owner of the ewer and basin by the Mayor of Lyon thanks him for consigning 'des pièces d'un aussi grand inteéret' to the exhibition. The then owner lived in a house reputedly used by Napoleon during his visit to Lyon in the early 19th century. Consequently the ewer and basin have always had a Napoleonic association.

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