A rare Vincennes large écuelle, cover and stand circa 1750-52

(écuelle et plateau 'rond') each piece painted en camaïeu rouge-de-fer with vignettes of exotic birds perched among flowering branches within a gilt-edged rim; the tureen painted in the interior with a central bird in flight above branches, the tureen with interlaced L's and an asterisk in blue enamel to the tureen and the stand with interlaced L's in blue enamel.

Sale: Christie's, London, March 31, 1980, lot 8

All pieces in generally good condition, except: There are some occasional and minor scratches to the glaze and rouge de fer enamels overall, which are not disfiguring. The ecuelle: There is some stacking-related rubbing to the gilding along the rim edge and a further 1/8-inch flat chip to the rim edge near one handle. There are minor and occasional chips to the edges of the applied wreaths (heightened in gilding) on the handles. The cover: The fish on the knop has been broken off from its lower end and glued back; there are associated small chips to the edges of the surrounding seaweed. There is a minuscule pinhead chip to the tip if its mouth. The center of the florette on the knop is chipped away and there is restoration to the seaweed located on the conch shell and a further small chip to its side edge. The cover has a 2-inch restored area at the rim edge, possibly covering a break; the restoration is old and has discolored.
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.

Produced in four different sizes, the two-handled tureens, such as the present example, was probably intended for broth, also referred as buillon. 

This form appears to have been popular: in the inventory list of October 1752 fifty-one circular 'écuelles et platteaux' were recorded as already decorated and ready for sale in the salesroom, as mentioned by Svend Eriksen and Geoffrey de Bellaigue in Sèvres Porcelain, Vincennes and Sèvres, 1740-1800, p. 238. A tureen and cover similarly painted in polychrome with ornithological subjects is illustrated (ibid., p. 238, cat. no. 59). A tureen, cover and stand decorated and formed similarly to the present example was offered at Christie's Monaco, December 4, 1988, lot 50. Another similar tureen painted with floral garlands was sold at Sotheby's London, May 24, 1977, lot 2005 and again on October 18, 1988, lot 347.