TWELVE SÈVRES (HARD PASTE) DESSERT PLATES

CIRCA 1824, PAINTER'S CD FOR CHARLES DEVELLY TO EACH, VARIOUS GILDER'S MARKS, INCISED KILN DATES FROM 1819-1821

Details

TWELVE SÈVRES (HARD PASTE) DESSERT PLATES
Circa 1824, painter's CD for Charles Develly to each, various gilder's marks, incised kiln dates from 1819-1821
Each painted with a specimen butterfly centered within two concentric bands of pink flower sprigs, the border with swags of forget-me-nots suspended from a gilt wreath, a spray of similar pink blossoms pendant at the join of each swag, gilt bands edging the cavetto and rim
9 3/8 in. (23.8 cm.) diameter (12)

Sale room notice

Further to the provenance listed in the printed catalogue, the following more detailed information has been provided, courtesy of Mme. Tamara Préaud at the archives of the Sèvres factory:

6 November 1824 (Registre Vbb6, folio 79: 183.58 ), a mixture of pieces from various services was delivered "pour le service du grand maître au chateau royal de Compiègne", among which were the following pieces from the service decorated with butterflies and flowers to which the present twelve plates belong:
4 boat-shaped dishes @ 20 francs each
18 pots à jus @ 9 francs each
2 salad bowls @ 36 francs each
24 soup plates @ 14 francs each

15 April 1830 (Registre Vbb 8, folio 14 verso: 183.58) notes the delivery of the balance of this service to "Monsieur Roux de Rochelle, envoté extraordinaire et ministre plénipotentiaire de S.M. aux Etats Unis". Described as a service entrée et dessert, fleurettes et papillons, this second delivery included:
106 plates @ 15 francs each
24 soup plates @ 14 francs each
Two soup tureens @ 72 francs each
2 soup-tureen stands @ 15 francs each
3 boat-shape dishes @ 20 francs each
2 sauceboats and stands @ 47 francs each
2 salad bowls @ 36 francs each
16 pots de crème @ 9 francs each
2 stands for these @ 45 francs each
12 various serving dishes @ 20 francs each
2 fruit bowls @ 30 francs each

As nothing from this service remains at Compiègne, it may well be that both deliveries were intended for M. Roux de Rochelle. The present plates can be confirmed as having been delivered in 1830 to the French ambassador to the United States.

Lot Essay

The present twelve plates are from a service described in the factory's records as service fleurettes et papillons colorés that entered the saleroom in August 1822 (Registre Vv1, f0 183 vo.). The service was subsequently divided, with a portion delivered to the château de Compiègne in 1824 and the second part to the a 'Monsieur Roux de la Rochelle' in 1834. Nothing from the service remains in the collection of Compiègne. There is, therefore, no way of confirming to which delivery the present set of twelve plates originally belonged.

Eleven plates from this service were sold under the expertise of Cyrille Froissart in an auction organized by Etude Doutrebente at Drouot in Paris, 31 March 2006, lot 141. Five more were sold anonymously by Christie's in Monaco, 5 December 1991, lot 44. Two others are known in an American private collection.

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