A SEVRES PORCELAIN BLEU CELESTE-GROUND PART DEJEUNER (DEJEUNER COURTEILLE)

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WORKS OF ART FROM THE COLLECTION OF HUGH AND MARION SASSOONHugh and Marion Sassoon were always interested in mixing the old with the new. In their homes in an elegant Belgravia square and Woodend House in beautiful unspoilt Buckinghamshire country near Marlow they skilfully juxtaposed the interesting things they had inherited from their families of distinguished collectors with works they acquired from the earliest years of their marriage in 1953. Their combined interests ranged from the late George III and Regency furniture acquired from Blairman and Malletts in the 1950s, with a particular focus on pieces with exotic Chinese export lacquer, to Modern British art with works by John Piper and Paul Nash, and a growing interest in Australian Post-War painting, particularly the work of Sir Sidney Nolan, through the acquisitions at the 1979 sale of David Hicks’ nearby Britwell House, to the abiding passion for contemporary ceramics with a remarkable collection assembled over many years including the works of Lucie Rie and the Leach family. All these were balanced with works from the collection of Hugh Sassoon’s mother, Doris Herschorn, an informed and passionate collector across a very wide range of fields of the fine and decorative arts, including the Sèvres porcelain acquired at the 1963 sale of the celebrated Fribourg Collection. Her remarkable collection of early miniatures by Nicholas Hilliard and Peter Oliver was bequeathed to the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1975. It is fascinating that her keen eye for objets de vertu was inherited from her parents Elias and Flora Meyer, who had acquired such treasures as the intaglio and the cameo from the Marlborough Gems as early as 1909, and the cameo has an even more illustrious history as it was part of the fabled Arundel collection. Over the years Hugh and Marion worked with distinguished contemporary designers such as Jon Bannenberg, Mary Fox-Linton with Derek Frost, and Colin Orchard to bring new life to their interiors with remarkable success, which gave a fresh perspective to the works of art that had been collected by them and previous generations of their family over more than a century. What they created together was the setting for a life of great generosity shared with family and friends, and the many charitable causes they supported, especially in the arts, benefitted greatly from that generosity.

A PAIR OF SEVRES PORCELAIN BLEU CELESTE-GROUND ORNITHOLOGICAL POMADE-POTS AND COVERS (POTS A POMMADE)

CIRCA 1768, BLUE INTERLACED L MARKS ENCLOSING DATE LETTER P, PAINTER'S N MARK FOR FRANÇOIS-JOSEPH ALONCLE, BLACK SCRIPT TITLES

Details

A PAIR OF SEVRES PORCELAIN BLEU CELESTE-GROUND ORNITHOLOGICAL POMADE-POTS AND COVERS (POTS A POMMADE)
CIRCA 1768, BLUE INTERLACED L MARKS ENCLOSING DATE LETTER P, PAINTER'S N MARK FOR FRANÇOIS-JOSEPH ALONCLE, BLACK SCRIPT TITLES
Each painted with two panels of named birds, Canard des iles, pie de Madagascar, Cannard des judes and Pigeon de la chine, with gilt foliate borders
3½ in. (8.9 cm.) high

Provenance

The René Fribourg Collection; sold Sotheby's, London, 25 June 1963, lot 50.
Acquired at the above sale by Mrs Doris Herschorn (d. 1975) and by descent to her son Hugh Sassoon.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Amelia Walker Director, Specialist Head of Private & Iconic Collections

awalker@christies.com +44 20 7389 2085

Lot Essay

Aloncle became one of the principal bird painters for Sèvres from 1758 to 1781, working alongside Louis-Denis Armand and Antoine-Joseph Chappuis. Initially painting monochrome birds, he soon became adept at painting colourful, exotic birds in landscapes before turning to a more naturalistic style in the 1760s.

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