- 51
A fine and rare Vincennes bleu lapis-ground garniture of three flower pots and stands 1756/57
Description
- porcelain
- Width of first size vase 11 1/4 in.
- 28.6 cm
Provenance
Presented by Louis, Dauphin of France, as a gift to Antoine-Charles-Guillaume, Marquis de la Roche-Aymon (by repute)
Sale: Property of Mrs. Derek Fitzgerald from the Collection of Mrs. Meyer Sassoon, Sotheby's, London, May 4, 1965, lot 80
Sale: Collection of Sir Charles Clore, Christie's, Monaco, December 6, 1985, lot 1
Exhibited
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.
Catalogue Note
Numerous pairs and single examples exist, particularly of the first and second sizes, and a comprehensive discussion of the form's model, title, date of introduction and comparable examples, as well as a list of the relevant sales records for the period 1754-89, are provided by Rosalind Savill, The Wallace Collection Catalogue of Sèvres Porcelain, Volume I, pp. 69-71 and 89-90. The factory sales records for 1757 list two purchases by M. Bailly: a vase of the first size, decorated with "enfans camaïeu", for 300 livres on December 10th (Registre Vy 2, folio 42) and two of the second size, decorated "d'enfans colorés", for 240 livres each on December 17th, (Registre, Vy 2, folio 44). Given that the decoration of the Bailly purchases, as listed in the sales records, does not correspond closely enough to that of the present examples, this portion of their provenance, as cited in the Clore catalogue, appears to be highly unlikely.
A trophy panel decorating the reverse side of one of the second size vases comprising part of the present garniture includes an open book inscribed Anacreon. A cuvette à fleurs 'à tombeau' of the first size with a similar open book partially inscribed ACREO is illustrated by Savill, op. cit., pp. 34-35, C204, where the possible significance of this decoration is mentioned on p. 36. Probably inspired by the writings of the Greek philosopher-poet of the same name, Anacréon was a one-act opera-ballet by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) composed in collaboration with his frequent librettist, Louis de Cahusac (1706-59). It was first performed at Fontainebleau on October 23rd and 26th, 1754, and although it has been speculated that the performance was to mark the August 23rd birth of the Dauphin's second son, Louis-Auguste, duc de Berri and future Louis XVI, King of France and Navarre, it is more likely that the opera was performed as part of a festival of arts and music in conjunction with the annual arrival of the Louis XV's courtiers at the château in the autumn for several weeks of hunting and other pleasurable entertainments.
Following the deaths of his elder brother in 1761 and his father, Louis, Dauphin of France, in 1765, Louis-Auguste succeeded to the title. It was during this period that Antoine-Charles-Guillaume, Marquis de La Roche-Aymon (1751-1831), likely served as menin de "monseigneur le Dauphin", nobleman in attendance to the future King. However, despite this and the absence of any supporting archival evidence, the probability of a gift of the present garniture by either Dauphin to the Marquis, as purported in both the Fitzgerald and Clore provenances, must remain a matter of conjecture.
Sir Philip Sassoon's residence at 25 Park Lane, London, was home to a series of annual exhibitions of fine and decorative art from private collections from 1928 to 1938. Organized with the proceeds of their related exhibition catalogues going to charity, the exhibitions were popular social events, with members of the general public and nobility alike in attendance, as well as King George V and Queen Mary. The 'Three French Reigns' exhibition was no exception. "Altogether 544 items were on display from 90 lenders, including 26 from the Queen. The style Rothschild was well represented, with nine English and French Rothschilds contributing. To that could be added the 25 items from the Earl of Rosebery, whose mother was a Rothschild. Philip himself lent 50 items..." (Peter Stansky, Sassoon: The Worlds of Philip and Sybil, 2003, p. 200).
Similar vases 'hollandois' are illustrated by Savill, op. cit., pp. 73-74, C217 (a single vase of the first size); pp. 76-77, C218-19 (a pair of the third size); pp. 78-82, C220-22 (a garniture of three, first and second size); and pp. 85-87, C223-4 (a pair of the second size). Two examples are illustrated by Geoffrey de Bellaigue, French Porcelain in the Collection of her Majesty the Queen, p. 131-133, cat. no. 14, and p. 134, cat. no. 15. Others are illustrated by Linda H. Roth and Clare Le Corbeiller, French Eighteenth-Century Porcelain at the Wadsworth Atheneum, pp. 118-119, no. 63, and Svend Eriksen, The James A. Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, Sèvres Porcelain, p. 99, no. 34.
Sotheby's wishes to thank Coralie Dusserre, Documentaliste, Service des collections documentaires, Sèvres – Cité de la Céramique, for her kind assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.