- 239
A RARE SÈVRES PLATE CIRCA 1800-05
Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- porcelain
- diameter 9 3/8 in.
- 23.8 cm
the center with a roundel painted with a 'cameo' portrait of 'ANTONIN LE PIEUX', titled, the rim with a bountiful arrangement of flowers and fruit tied with gilt bands, painted x Sèvres y mark.
Condition
Some occasional rubbing to the gilding along the rim edges and to the gilt edges of the central panel. Some occasional and minor scratches to the enamels. Otherwise in generally good condition.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Antonin Le Pieux (Antoninus Pius, 19 September, 86 AD – 7 March, 161 AD) was a prominent Roman Emperor, who ruled from 138 to 161.
A design for a similarly-decorated plate, but with the 'cameo' portrait within a floral border in the center, is illustrated in Tamara Préaud, The Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, Alexandre Brongniart and the Triumph of Art and Industry, 1800-1847, p. 173, cat. no. 8, where the author cites an entry in the sales inventory on June 18, 1803: trois assiettes à couronne et têtes en gris [three plates with wreaths and heads in gray] and further states that other entries from the same year also refer to cameo-like paintings. According to Préaud, other services that indicate this type of decoration in the sales records are: a service chosen by "Monsieur de Lucay, Premier Préfet du Palais de Sa Majesté" for the Château Fontainebleu on November 24, 1804, and described as "service Nankeen ground, low relief figures, garland of flowers"; and another also for the emperor, which was delivered in December 5, 1804 and consisted of "seventy-two plates tortoise-shell ground imitation of bronze figures, etc."
Although it is impossible to directly link the present example to any of the above-mentioned services; its rarity is indisputable. A similar plate with the profile portrait of Benjamin Franklin is in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, accession number 2001.219.
A design for a similarly-decorated plate, but with the 'cameo' portrait within a floral border in the center, is illustrated in Tamara Préaud, The Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, Alexandre Brongniart and the Triumph of Art and Industry, 1800-1847, p. 173, cat. no. 8, where the author cites an entry in the sales inventory on June 18, 1803: trois assiettes à couronne et têtes en gris [three plates with wreaths and heads in gray] and further states that other entries from the same year also refer to cameo-like paintings. According to Préaud, other services that indicate this type of decoration in the sales records are: a service chosen by "Monsieur de Lucay, Premier Préfet du Palais de Sa Majesté" for the Château Fontainebleu on November 24, 1804, and described as "service Nankeen ground, low relief figures, garland of flowers"; and another also for the emperor, which was delivered in December 5, 1804 and consisted of "seventy-two plates tortoise-shell ground imitation of bronze figures, etc."
Although it is impossible to directly link the present example to any of the above-mentioned services; its rarity is indisputable. A similar plate with the profile portrait of Benjamin Franklin is in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, accession number 2001.219.