CIRCA 1765, GOLD ANCHOR MARKS

The distinctive puce-painted military scenes on these two plates can be confirmed as the work of Fidelle Duvivier, a Belgian whose name is associated with Tournai, among other Continental factories, as well as with Chelsea where he is documented as having  painted circa 1764-1772.   A Chelsea teapot attributed to Fidelle Duvivier, similarly painted in puce with military scenes, is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum [C.204:1, 2-1985].  The pot is from a tea service sold by Christie’s in London Saturday 8 April 1786 as lot 56 in a three-day auction of various properties.  Identified as:  “Chelsea Porcelane [sic] decreed to be the property of Mr Thomas, decd by the Court of Chancery” and described as “A most capital and complete tea and coffee equipage of rich crimson and gold curiously painted in figures by the ingenious Mr Devivi, no other set of this colour was ever made, and the art is entirely lost since Mr Sprimont's decease.  Contains 12 handled tea cups and saucers, 6 coffee cups and saucers, tea pot, sugar dish and cover, slop bason and cream ewer”, it sold for £30-19s-6d to ‘Stevens’.
 
Our thanks to Charlotte Jacob-Hanson, whose book on Fidelle Duvivier is due to be published next year, for bringing the teapot at the V&A and its connection to the Christie’s sale to our attention.