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Lot Essay
Contemporary documentary sources survive which sometimes make it possible to trace the ownership of 18th century Vincennes and Sèvres porcelain. However, the exact provenance is not always unequivocal and one can be left with several possibilities. The following evidence suggests potential identities for the first owner of this remarkable ewer and basin.
The period of production for this and other items of Vincennes porcelain is recorded on the objects themselves. Many pieces produced at Vincennes after 1753 are marked with an alphabetical dating system. Unfortunately, it is not known exactly when this date coding system was instigated and early date letters can span the turn of a calendar year. It does give an indication of which period of the records might yield evidence. Also, by accounting for kiln firing records it is possible to deduce the most probable date letter to appear on the likely examples which can be linked to descriptive records from the factory and other sources. The distinctive floral bord de relief of the basin enables us to accurately identify the ewers and basins of this specific type produced during the period in which this jug and basin was finished.
This form of basin is examined by Rosalind Savill, The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Sèvres Porcelain, London, 1988, Vol. II, pp. 700-1, in relation to a bleu lapis ewer and basin from the Wallace Collection, pp. 705-8, cat. no. C452-3. Her chapter on items "For bedroom, cabinet and boudoir..." (Savill, ibid. pp. 691-718) places these personal and intimate items within the cultural context of the time. These notes provide a useful starting point from which to examine the origins of the present set.
Sixteen basins of this type are recorded in the sales records between June 1754 and December 1758. Of the sixteen, all but two were accompanied with the Roussel form of jug. Of the fourteen sets five were decorated with flowers on a bleu céleste ground, the remaining sets are clearly distinguishable on the basis of ground colour or reserve subject. All five sets with decoration described as bleu céleste fleurs were bought by the marchand-mercier, Lazare Duvaux, at a cost of 600 livres each; expensive items which reflect the richness and detail of the moulding and decoration. The five sets appear in Duvaux's sale returns: one on 30 June 1754, another between 5-31 December 1754, a further example between 1 June and 1 October 1755 and two further examples between 20 August 1756 and 1 January 1757. Three of these five sets appear in the Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux which records his credit sales, the two sets not recorded may have been cash sales. The first set, under entry no. 1818, was sold to Mme la Marq. de Pompadour, for the Château de Bellevue, recorded in June 1754 is less likely to be the present example. Two basins similar to the present example are known; one, from the Hugh Burton-Jones collection sold Sotheby's, London, 12 June 1984, lot 171 bears date letter A for 1753-4, the other in the National Museum, Warsaw also thought to date to 1753. The timings of the kiln firings prior to this sale date would suggest that this set would probably be marked with the date letter A (1753-1754), therefore could not be the present example. The second set recorded in the sales returns in December 1754 and was part of Kiln Firing No. 10 (September 1754-January 1755) so was probably marked with date letter B, it is therefore a likely candidate for the present ewer and basin. It is absent from Lazare Duvaux's credit sales in the Livre-Journal and therefore may have been sold for cash. Whilst the buyer is unidentifiable from these records it should be noted that it would be a person of considerable means who would be able to make such an expensive purchase, it appears that on occasion even Louis XV was a cash buyer. The third set recorded in the Sales Register between June and October 1755, from Kiln Firing No. 11 (3 February 1755-10 May 1755). It appears in the Livre-Journal on 12 September 1755, entry no. 2232 as sold to Mme la Marq. de Pompadour, Une jatte Vincennes à fleurs de relief, & son broc à cartouche de fleurs, 600 l, this is another potential candidate for the present ewer and basin, the description and likely date letter is consistent with the present example. Of the remaining two sets which appear in the sales returns from August 1756 to January 1757, only one appears in the Livre-Journal entry no. 2806 from 14 June 1757. It is less likely that this is the present example, bearing date letter B, as an object made in 1754-55 is unlikely to have remained in Duvaux's possession for this length of time.
Rosalind Savill discusses four ewers and basins bought by Mme. la Marq. de Pompadour from Duvaux between 1754-56, though the Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux seems to indicate only three purchases (though she may have been a cash buyer for one set which would have not been recorded in this log). Savill states a first turquoise-ground set with flowers which was delivered to Bellevue (entry no. 1818 from the Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux), a second set, possibly from the cabinet de toilette in the Hôtel de Pompadour (possibly based on entry no. 359 from Jean Cordey, Inventaire des biens de Madame de Pompadour: rédigé après son décés, 1939), a third was sent to the Elector of Cologne and a fourth blue-ground set, painted with birds was delivered to her at Versailles. In fact, the third example was not the set from the gift to the Elector of Cologne; instead the fourth from the Wallace Collection list, painted with birds but on a bleu céleste ground was delivered to Clement-Augustus of Bavaria. This appears as entry no. 2435 of the 18 March 1756 in the Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux, at a cost of 672 livres. The basin from this set appeared at auction recently, sale Sotheby's, Paris, 24 March 2005, lot 30. The third set in the Wallace Collection list was, in fact, probably that of Duvaux sale 2232, as mentioned above. In the case of the second set, however, the type and decoration is not actually specified in the Cordy inventory. Savill goes on to state that two additional sets appear in the Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux. The first, under entry no. 2308 is described as "Un broc bleu-céleste & jatte oval ornés de fleurs, 600 l", which implied that both elements of the set have floral ornament. The cost of 600 livres is consistent, but similar decoration on a different form might account for this, for example a set with the pot á la Romaine á ornements which has relief flowers to the handle could easily be covered by this description and such a set was bought by Duvaux in the last quarter of 1755. The other set was sent by Louis XV to the marquis de L'Hospital in Russia in 1757, part of a large gift of porcelain and other items intended for the Russian Court. This appears in the Livre-Journal under entry no. 2806 and probably includes the ewer and basin from the August 1756-January 1757 sales register.
Other broc Roussel et jatte á bord de relief are recorded in the literature, see Marcelle Brunet and Tamara Préaud, Sèvres des origines á nos jours, Fribourg, 1978, p. 159, no. 105 for a fond rose example from the Tuck collection in the Petit Palais. See also Tamara Préaud and Antoine d'Albis, La Porcelaine de Vincennes Paris, 1991, p. 179, no. 192 for a bleu lapis example in the musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris.
Pierre-Louis-Philippe Armand le cadet or le jeune was a painter of flowers at Vincennes from 1749 and later, at Sèvres until 1788.
We are grateful to David Peters for his advice in the compilation of this footnote.
The period of production for this and other items of Vincennes porcelain is recorded on the objects themselves. Many pieces produced at Vincennes after 1753 are marked with an alphabetical dating system. Unfortunately, it is not known exactly when this date coding system was instigated and early date letters can span the turn of a calendar year. It does give an indication of which period of the records might yield evidence. Also, by accounting for kiln firing records it is possible to deduce the most probable date letter to appear on the likely examples which can be linked to descriptive records from the factory and other sources. The distinctive floral bord de relief of the basin enables us to accurately identify the ewers and basins of this specific type produced during the period in which this jug and basin was finished.
This form of basin is examined by Rosalind Savill, The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Sèvres Porcelain, London, 1988, Vol. II, pp. 700-1, in relation to a bleu lapis ewer and basin from the Wallace Collection, pp. 705-8, cat. no. C452-3. Her chapter on items "For bedroom, cabinet and boudoir..." (Savill, ibid. pp. 691-718) places these personal and intimate items within the cultural context of the time. These notes provide a useful starting point from which to examine the origins of the present set.
Sixteen basins of this type are recorded in the sales records between June 1754 and December 1758. Of the sixteen, all but two were accompanied with the Roussel form of jug. Of the fourteen sets five were decorated with flowers on a bleu céleste ground, the remaining sets are clearly distinguishable on the basis of ground colour or reserve subject. All five sets with decoration described as bleu céleste fleurs were bought by the marchand-mercier, Lazare Duvaux, at a cost of 600 livres each; expensive items which reflect the richness and detail of the moulding and decoration. The five sets appear in Duvaux's sale returns: one on 30 June 1754, another between 5-31 December 1754, a further example between 1 June and 1 October 1755 and two further examples between 20 August 1756 and 1 January 1757. Three of these five sets appear in the Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux which records his credit sales, the two sets not recorded may have been cash sales. The first set, under entry no. 1818, was sold to Mme la Marq. de Pompadour, for the Château de Bellevue, recorded in June 1754 is less likely to be the present example. Two basins similar to the present example are known; one, from the Hugh Burton-Jones collection sold Sotheby's, London, 12 June 1984, lot 171 bears date letter A for 1753-4, the other in the National Museum, Warsaw also thought to date to 1753. The timings of the kiln firings prior to this sale date would suggest that this set would probably be marked with the date letter A (1753-1754), therefore could not be the present example. The second set recorded in the sales returns in December 1754 and was part of Kiln Firing No. 10 (September 1754-January 1755) so was probably marked with date letter B, it is therefore a likely candidate for the present ewer and basin. It is absent from Lazare Duvaux's credit sales in the Livre-Journal and therefore may have been sold for cash. Whilst the buyer is unidentifiable from these records it should be noted that it would be a person of considerable means who would be able to make such an expensive purchase, it appears that on occasion even Louis XV was a cash buyer. The third set recorded in the Sales Register between June and October 1755, from Kiln Firing No. 11 (3 February 1755-10 May 1755). It appears in the Livre-Journal on 12 September 1755, entry no. 2232 as sold to Mme la Marq. de Pompadour, Une jatte Vincennes à fleurs de relief, & son broc à cartouche de fleurs, 600 l, this is another potential candidate for the present ewer and basin, the description and likely date letter is consistent with the present example. Of the remaining two sets which appear in the sales returns from August 1756 to January 1757, only one appears in the Livre-Journal entry no. 2806 from 14 June 1757. It is less likely that this is the present example, bearing date letter B, as an object made in 1754-55 is unlikely to have remained in Duvaux's possession for this length of time.
Rosalind Savill discusses four ewers and basins bought by Mme. la Marq. de Pompadour from Duvaux between 1754-56, though the Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux seems to indicate only three purchases (though she may have been a cash buyer for one set which would have not been recorded in this log). Savill states a first turquoise-ground set with flowers which was delivered to Bellevue (entry no. 1818 from the Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux), a second set, possibly from the cabinet de toilette in the Hôtel de Pompadour (possibly based on entry no. 359 from Jean Cordey, Inventaire des biens de Madame de Pompadour: rédigé après son décés, 1939), a third was sent to the Elector of Cologne and a fourth blue-ground set, painted with birds was delivered to her at Versailles. In fact, the third example was not the set from the gift to the Elector of Cologne; instead the fourth from the Wallace Collection list, painted with birds but on a bleu céleste ground was delivered to Clement-Augustus of Bavaria. This appears as entry no. 2435 of the 18 March 1756 in the Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux, at a cost of 672 livres. The basin from this set appeared at auction recently, sale Sotheby's, Paris, 24 March 2005, lot 30. The third set in the Wallace Collection list was, in fact, probably that of Duvaux sale 2232, as mentioned above. In the case of the second set, however, the type and decoration is not actually specified in the Cordy inventory. Savill goes on to state that two additional sets appear in the Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux. The first, under entry no. 2308 is described as "Un broc bleu-céleste & jatte oval ornés de fleurs, 600 l", which implied that both elements of the set have floral ornament. The cost of 600 livres is consistent, but similar decoration on a different form might account for this, for example a set with the pot á la Romaine á ornements which has relief flowers to the handle could easily be covered by this description and such a set was bought by Duvaux in the last quarter of 1755. The other set was sent by Louis XV to the marquis de L'Hospital in Russia in 1757, part of a large gift of porcelain and other items intended for the Russian Court. This appears in the Livre-Journal under entry no. 2806 and probably includes the ewer and basin from the August 1756-January 1757 sales register.
Other broc Roussel et jatte á bord de relief are recorded in the literature, see Marcelle Brunet and Tamara Préaud, Sèvres des origines á nos jours, Fribourg, 1978, p. 159, no. 105 for a fond rose example from the Tuck collection in the Petit Palais. See also Tamara Préaud and Antoine d'Albis, La Porcelaine de Vincennes Paris, 1991, p. 179, no. 192 for a bleu lapis example in the musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris.
Pierre-Louis-Philippe Armand le cadet or le jeune was a painter of flowers at Vincennes from 1749 and later, at Sèvres until 1788.
We are grateful to David Peters for his advice in the compilation of this footnote.