A VINCENNES BLEU LAPIS EWER AND BASIN, 1753-4 |

pot à eau à la Romaine uni et jatte ovale, painted with cartouches of birds in flight within finely tooled gilded borders, interlaced LL marks in blue enclosing date letter A for 1753-4, the basin with painter's mark of a triangle for Antoine Capelle (active as a painter of flower and gilder from 1745-87, 1790), foot of ewer now lacking, mount later

The basin has a section of the rim with old restoration (the lower left in the catalogue illustration), this is approx. 2 1/2 inches (7 cm.) wide and 1 in (3 cm.) deep. Probably a replacement section with old associated discoloured and flaking over-painting. The other side of the bowl has a small restored rim chip with short crack. in general, some glaze scratching and patches of wear to the interior. The ewer has the foot broken off and missing and a 19th century metal collar attach to the join. This metal mount would have sat in a foot (perhaps the lost original). There is a hairline crack to the lower part of the ewer. The handle has several stress crack to the lower part of the handle and to the upper part on the inside of the grip. Some glaze flaws and minor scratches and wear.
"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."

The form `pot à la Romaine at jatte ovale' was designed by Duplessis in 1751 and appears in correspondence dated October 1751, see T. Préaud and A. d'Albis, La porcelain de Vincennes, Paris, 1991, no. 128, no. 55.  Moulds for the form are recorded in the October 1752 inventory of the factory as well as examples at various stages of decoration with the first finished example being recorded in December of that year.  The example in the J. Pierpont Morgan Collection is closest to the present example, se L. H. Roth and C. Le Corbeiller, French Eighteenth-Century Porcelain at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Conn., 2000, pp. 293-295, cat. no. 148 where the author discusses the three examples with similar ground colour and bird decoration sold in 1753-4, the first to Monsieur Betz for 300 livres, another to Lazare Duvaux for 220 livres in December 1753 and the third also to Madame de Pompadour through Duvaux, recorded on 23rd June 1754, also for 300 livres.  An example of similar form, ground colour and decoration with a different form of cartouche from the Louis C. G. Clarke collection, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, acc. no. C.7-1961.