A very rare Vincennes glazed white group of 'Les Mangeurs de Raisins' circa 1752

Sale: The Collection of M. Fitzhenry, Hôtel Drout, Paris, December 16, 1909, lot 292
Sale: The Collection of Madame J. Brasseur de Lille, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, June 1,1928, lot 101
Sale: The Property of the late Oscar Dusendschon of Geneva, Sotheby's, London, December 6, 1960, lot 91
Antique Porcelain Company, Ltd., London

The group is in generally good condition apart from some occasional minor typical firing tears and the following comments: One of the crenelations of the vase is chipped away and two others, each with a minuscule pinhead chip. There is a firing crack running from the male figure's right chest up and over his shoulder and continuing to his back, stopping at the same point as the starting point on the front; the crack is partially visible in the catalogue illustration. There is another short haircrack running around his neck. There are occasional and minor chips to the edges of the leaves and bushes. There is a small, 1/8-inch and another minuscule chip to the edge of his jacket in the back. Additionally, there is a tiny chip to the edge of one bow on the hat and there are several tiny pinhead chips to the edge of the base, which are not visible from the exterior. There is some abrasion-like chipping to the edge of the treestump located near the vase.
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.

The paintings of François Boucher (1703-70) provided a source not only for a variety of decoration on the porcelain produced at Vincennes and Sèvres but also for a number of the factory's figures and groups, which includes the present example. 'Les Mangeurs de raisins' and its companion group, 'Le Flûteur', were directly inspired by Boucher's set designs for Les Vendanges de Tempé, by Charles-Simon Favart (1710-92). First produced in 1745 and then revised and produced again in 1752 at the Théâtre Italien in Paris, the pantomime describes the romance, and its complications, between the play's protagonists, and the porcelain groups' subjects, The Little Shepherd and the shepherdess, Lisette.

A similar example of 'Les Mangeurs de raisins' is illustrated by Linda H. Roth and Clare Le Corbeiller, French Porcelain at the Wadsworth Atheneum, The J. Pierpont Morgan Collection, p. 341, fig. 170, where the authors fully discuss the inspiration and source for the subject of the group. Another is illustrated by Joanna Gwilt, Vincennes and Early Sèvres Porcelain from the Belvedere Collection, p. 236, fig. 172. Based on the related examples cited by the author on p. 237, the present group appears to be one of only three known glazed examples of this particular model, which also appears in a porcelain biscuit version, illustrated (ibid., fig. 172.2).