Decorative Art Spotlight: Porcelain
Read about the difference between soft and hard paste, and an example of a Sevres object from the Frick Collection
Read about the difference between soft and hard paste, and an example of a Sevres object from the Frick Collection
It all started with hard-paste porcelains: Chinese porcelains came to Europe in the 14th century and were natural porcelains made of hard-paste, called like that because they resisted high temperatures. European countries envied their brilliance and transparency. As they were expensive to import, European manufactures tried to copy this hard-paste. But the way they were produced was little understood; and one of their main ingredients, the kaolin, could not be found in Europe at the time.
Then the soft-paste was used as a substitute: European manufactures used the soft-paste porcelain (or artificial porcelain), which looked like hard paste, only not as brilliant or not as resistant to high temperatures or to scratches. In the 18th century the secret of hard-paste porcelain slowly started to spread in Europe, starting in Germany in 1710 with the hard-paste porcelain of Saxony and the Meissen manufacture.
And at the end, soft-paste porcelain became an art in itself: La Manufacture Nationale de Sevres was established in Vincennes, France in 1740 to produce soft-paste porcelain under the control of the French king. The high level of technical know-how of its designers and porcelain painters (especially their imitation of polychrome paintings) made its success in the 18th century even in comparison with the hard-paste porcelain of Saxony. Sevres only began to produce hard-paste porcelain in 1770, and is now mostly known for its soft-paste painted porcelain objects, with high artistic value.
Case Study: Pot-Pourri, Sevres manufacture, ca. 1756, The Frick Collection
The conception of this pot-pourri is attributed to Jean-Claude Duplessis although never been confirmed. This is a very rare shape because this design tended to collapse in the oven when fired because of the holes in the sail. Consequently only about 12 vessels like this were produced.
This pot-pourri was made by the Sevres manufacture out of soft-paste around 1756 (the bronze plinths are later additions). The conception of this specific piece has been linked with Jean-Claude Duplessis although the attribution has never been confirmed. This shape was really rare because the holes of the boat sail were weakening the entire object when being fired (it tended to collapse in the oven). Consequently only about twelve vessels like this one were produced. The shape is the one of a masted ship floating above forms shaped like waves. At either end there are lion masks. On the top a flag is rolled around the single mast with the royal emblem of the fleur-de-lys.
The painter’s skills complement the ones of the designer. Juxtaposition of various ground colors including the blue of Sevres (cobalt blue obtained at high fire) was fashionable at that time. There is a central miniature painting with birds in lush landscapes (there was a growing interest in natural sciences in the second half of the 18th century).
These pieces were very fashionable, and they had practical as well as decorative functions: they were often used as garniture over a fireplace (with two vases) but also as pot-pourri to hold fragrant plants or flowers, which emitted an aroma through its perforated lid. Ladies of the 18th century liked to mix their own fragrances.
Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s first mistress, was a fervent Sevres patron. She collected some of these large Sevres vessels. This one could have been part of her many orders.