A Sèvres flower trough circa 1770

cuvette à tombeau of the second size, decorated with a pale blue pointillé ground reserved with medallions en grisaille, the front with putti, a love trophy to the rear, framed by berried laurel garlands, cracked

Purchased on commission by Backer Antiques, 4th November 1947 for £56.14s., formerly in the collection of Brigadier-General R.J. Cooper.

There is a long crack down one of the short sides rugging from the rim, almost to the base and around a short distance into the rear side approximately 17cm in total. The first part of this long crack (about 13cm) is visible on the exterior and has some small associated losses along its length on the interior and exterior. There is a shallow chip to the pointillé ground to the rear approximately 5mm wide. The two feet in the front have small minor shallow chips, two on one foot, one on the other. There is a very little rubbing to the gilding on the rims.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

For a detailed discussion of this shape and four examples in The Wallace Collection, see Rosalind Savill, The Wallace Collection of Sèvres Porcelain, 1988, Vol. I, pp. 32-41.  For A small déjeuner with very similar decoration dated 1770 with the mark of painter Jacques Fontaine, see Linda H. Roth and Clare Le Corbeiller, French Eighteenth-Century Porcelain at the Wadsworth Atheneum, 2000, pp. 207-9, no. 98.