FRENCH PORCELAIN AT THE FRICK COLLECTION

Jan22

FROM SÈVRES TO FIFTH AVENUE: FRENCH PORCELAIN AT THE FRICK COLLECTION, The Frick Collection, 1 East 70th Street, near Fifth Avenue, until 24th April 2016

Factory: Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Model by: Jean-Claude Duplessis (c.1695- 1774)
Pot-Pourri Myrte with Flemish Scenes and Landscapes, c.1762
soft-paste porcelain on gilt bronze plinth
14 3/16 x 7 1/8 in. (36 x 18.1 cm)
Henry Clay Frick Bequest
Accession number: 1918.9.10

Now a museum, the building was originally built by Henry Clay Frick as a home and in it he wanted to emulate the great houses of the grandest European collectors by combining Old Masters with the best of the decorative arts. He achieved this with the help of the celebrated art dealer Sir Joseph Duveen.

Tea Service (milk jug, tea pot, sugar bowl)
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
French, 1767
Soft-paste porcelain
Teapot: 51/2 x 7 3/16 x 4 1/8 in. (14 x 18.3 x 10.5 cm)
Sugar bowl: h. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm), diam. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm)
Milk jug: 4 5/8 x 5 x 3 1/2 in. (11.7 x 12.7 x 8.9 cm)
Henry Clay Frick Bequest (1918.9.21−31)

Among the treasures on show is a wonderful group of Sèvres Porcelain which is being celebrated in this special exhibition organized by Charlotte Vignon, the Collection’s Curator of Decorative Arts and made possible by Sidney R. Knafel and Londa Weisman.

Tea Service (saucer, cup, cup and saucer)
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
French, 1767
Soft-paste porcelain
Cups: 2 3/8 x 3 11/16 x 2 7/8 in. (6 x 9.4 x 7.3 cm)
Saucers: h. 1 13/8 in. (3.5 cm), diam. 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm)
Henry Clay Frick Bequest (1918.9.21−31)

The Portico Gallery exhibition examines both the use of Sèvres in the ancien régime and its appeal in America’s Gilded Age and for this items normally on display and others usually in storage have been brought together.

Factory: Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Painted by: Jean-Baptiste Tandart (active 1754- 1803)
Plate: Part of a Dessert Service with Flowers and Turquoise Blue Ribbons, 1782
Soft-paste porcelain
1 x 9 3/8 in. (2.5 x 23.8 cm)
Henry Clay Frick Bequest
Accession number: 1918.9.36

Among the pieces Frick acquired is the wonderful Potpourri Vase “à Vaisseau” and a pair of side vases (Vases “à Oreilles,”) usually in the Fragonard Room. Two years later in 1918 a boudoir was created on the second floor for Mrs Frick (it was later moved to the main floor) and Duveen supplied a garniture of three potpourri vase feuilles de mirte for the mantelpiece and in a cabinet in the room there were pieces with a turquoise blue (bleu céleste) ground colour. Further acquisitions included a pair of Vincennes Vases Duplessis “à Enfants” and a 1767 turquoise ground tea service decorated with birds.

Factory: Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Painted by: Jean-Louis Morin (active 1754- 1787)
Gilded by: Henri-Martin Prévost aîné (active 1757- 1797)
Water Jug with Marine Scenes, Turquoise Blue Ground, 1781
soft-paste porcelain
8 1/4 x 5 5/8 x 5 1/8 in. (21 x 14.3 x 13 cm)
Gift of Miss Helen Clay Frick, 1934
Accession number: 1934.9.44

The collection has been added to over the years with gifts from other family members and generous donors. The Vase Japon, for example, was bought by the Trustees to mark the retirement of Anne L. Poulet, the Museum’s Director, in 2011.

Factory: Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Gilded by: Jean-Armand Fallot active between: 1764 – 1790
Vase Japon, 1774
Hard paste porcelain with overglaze and gilt painted decoration, and gilt silver hardware
20.3 cm (8 in.) Height: 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm)
Purchase in honor of Anne L. Poulet, 2011
Accession number: 2011.9.01

To me this is a show which underlines the beauty and enduring appeal of Sèvres Porcelain to successive generations of collectors and admirers.

Martin Carlin (attributed to) (c. 1730 – 1785)
Painted by: Edmé-François Bouillat (active 1785-1793)
Gilded by: Michel-Barnabé Chauvaux l’aîné (1752 – 1788)
Directed Production: Dominique Daguerre
Gilt-Bronze Tripod Table with Sèvres Porcelain Plaques, c.1783
gilt-bronze, oak, and Sèvres soft-paste porcelain
29 1/2 x 14 5/8 in. (74.9 x 37.1 cm)
Henry Clay Frick Bequest
Accession number: 1918.5.61

Footnote:

Frick Collection Dec Arts This image of the cover of The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook, which was published last year, depicts the Potpourri Vase “à Vaisseau” mentioned above. I gather that they are selling out quite quickly so do get in touch with the Museum should you require one.

http://www.frick.org

MASTERPIECE LONDON 2015 OPENS TOMORROW

Jun24

MASTERPIECE LONDON 2015, South Grounds, The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3, 25^th June – 1^st July 2015

Outside On the Red Carpet Masterpiece 2014.
Photo credit Rory Lindsay

There is little doubt that Masterpiece London is a very special fair with objects spanning over 4, 000 years being shown by some 150 galleries. It is a magnet for both collectors and museums round the world and a place to see some outstanding treasures.

As its Chief Executive Nazy Vassegh explains, “The 8 days when Masterpiece takes place is the epicentre of the art season in London. After just five years Masterpiece is now firmly regarded as both a leading international art fair and a welcome addition to the summer season in London. We are particularly delighted by the exhibitors and partners that will join us for the 2015 edition.”

I do hope that many of you will be able to visit this exciting Fair and over the coming days I shall share some of the objects you may find there.

Interior shot of Masterpiece 2014

Open to the public:

Thursday 25 June & Friday 26 June, 11.00–21.00

Saturday 27 June & Sunday 28 June, 11.00–19.00

Monday 29 June 11.00–21.00

Tuesday 30 June 11.00–18.00 (Followed by The Art Gala at Masterpiece in aid of the NSPCC from 19.00)

Wednesday 1 July, 11.00–21.00

2015 Ticket Prices:

General Admission Full Access: £42 per person (unlimited entry into the Fair on all Public Days between 25 June and 1 July)

General Admission: £25 per person (single day access)

Student Concession Ticket: £18 per person (with valid student ID)

Under 18s: Free

Phillip King sculpture at Masterpiece 2014.
Photo credit Rory Lindsay photography

http://www.masterpiecefair.com.

Waddesdon Manor – The Riches Of The Earth

Jun15

The Riches Of The Earth, Waddesdon Manor, Waddesdon, Near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, until 25^th October 2015

Guillaume Beneman, writing table, 1786;
oak carcass; veneered with purpleheart; with sycamore, ebony, boxwood and casuarina wood marquetry, gilt-bronze mounts and a leather top; 790 x 1902 x 895mm;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 2575.
Photo: Mike Fear © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Over the coming weeks I shall be writing from time to time about this spectacular Rothschild house which I first visited some fifty years ago and to which I always look forward to returning to whenever possible.

Beauvais, designed by François Boucher, Fontaine d’Amour, 1755-1775;
wool and silk; 3365 x 3469mm;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 2438.3.
Photo: P J Gates © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

The collections whether paintings, furniture, porcelain, books or textiles are really superb and as a “themed exhibition” this year the visitors attention is drawn to the works and interior features that reflect the wealth of the earth be it as clay, wood, metals, marble or the plants and minerals used for dyes in textiles. You will follow a special trail through the house to a display in the Exhibition Room upstairs.

Chandelier (detail), late 17th century- early 18th century; France; steel, rock crystal and cut glass; Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 2741.
Photo: Mike Fear © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Shown here is just a small selection that celebrates not only the gifts of the earth but also the family’s collecting over the years.

Table, c 1710-1720; Augsburg, Germany; wood, metal, tortoiseshell;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc.no. 2227.1.
Photo: John Bigelow Taylor © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Four large panels symbolising the seasons (detail); 1720-1750;
France; oak;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 3565.7.
Photo: Mike Fear © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Pot-pourri vase, Sèvres Manufactory, 1761,
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust). Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957.
Photo: Hugo Maertens © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Joshua Reynolds, Lady Anne Luttrell, The Duchess of Cumberland (1743-1809), 1772-1773;
oil on canvas; 2490 x 1620mm;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 2303
© The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Savonnerie, Duvivier workshop, carpet, 1753-1757;
wool; 312 x 285cm;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 2757.
Photo: © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Lastly a view of the Grey Drawing Room which I am sure will give a very clear view of what makes this such a special place. Indeed I am tempted to paraphrase Dr Johnson and say that when one is tired of Waddesdon, one is tired of life. I most certainly look forward to my next visit.

The Grey Drawing Room, Waddesdon Manor, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust).
©The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

www.waddesdon.org.uk

Art Antiques London 2015

Jun11

Art Antiques London, Albert Memorial West Lawn, Kensington Gardens, London SW7, (Opposite the Royal Albert Hall), 12th June – 18th, June, 2015

The queue outside Art Antiques London, 2014

This is now the sixth edition of a deservedly popular fair which offers a wide range of art and antiques, including many of museum quality and which draws collectors from around the world.

‘Landscape with trees’
Alfred Wallis 1855 – 1942
Oil on board with nails
Anthony Hepworth

The Fair has a well-established academic programme which as well as important lectures includes this year Study Days for The Silver Society, The English Ceramics Circle and The Jewellery Historians.

James W. Buel and Verdi Giuseppe, 10 Vols. The Great Operas with numerous illustrations. Exquisitely bound in full morocco, folios, with original boxes, each volume comes with an extra suite of plates (3 hand-coloured). Limited to 50 sets. 1899
Imperial Fine Books

Many will agree with what Anna Somers Cocks said in The Art Newspaper (20 June 2013) “like the Old Master drawings fair in Paris, but unlike most other fairs today,… is an encounter between people who really want to talk art and handle objects knowledgeably.”

A good rummer, the bucket bowl engraved with a mail coach and four horses, the reverse with initials GB
Height 16.2 cms
c.1820-30, English
Glass
Delomosne & Son Ltd.

White porcelain animal figures from Vincennes, Saint-Cloud and Vienna, 18th century
Christophe Perles

Japanese silver kodansu decorated with ho-o birds among paulownia trees,
signed Ginsei Hattori, Meiji Period.
The mythical phoenix in Japan is a symbol of justice and fidelity.
Laura Bordignon

Set of six chairs,
Sri Lanka, Colombo, second half 18th century. Coromandel wood and later upholstery.
Height: 101 cm, width: 52.5 cm, depth: 46.5 cm.
Provenance: Dutch private collection.
Roell Fine Art

Famille rose figural group of a dancing couple, modelled after the Meissen original, the gentleman wearing a yellow hat, white-ruff collar, blue waist jacket incised with scrolls and red breeches, the lady with a red waist coat similarly incised and long flowing skirt with purple flowers, all on a shaped naturalistic form base, modelled and moulded with relief flowers.
5 ⅝ ins, 14.3 cm high
Qianlong, circa 1752.
Marchant

A batik sarung from the studio of Catherina Van Oosterom in Banyumas, Java. During the mid 19th century a new type of batik was invented by a small group of Indo-European women, working traditionally with natural dyes and molten wax applied to cotton by means of a pen (canting). This genre is known as the Indische school and combines both Asian and Western design elements.
Jonathan Hope

http://www.haughton.com

French and other porcelains of the 18th century

May20

The Lady Cynthia Postan Collection of French and other porcelains of the 18^th century, E & H Manners, 66C Kensington Church Street, W8, 21^st – 29^th May 2015

Catalogue no. 43
A VINCENNES TEAPOT AND A COVER (théière ronde), circa 1750-52

This is a great opportunity to acquire pieces from a gifted and true collector who not only bought the best from leading dealers such as Winifred Williams, Pierre de Regaini and Lévy-Lacaze, but was also equally keen to acquire slightly less perfect pieces that were both attractive and helpful in increasing her knowledge of the subject.

Catalogue no. 21
A CHANTILLY KAKIEMON FEEDING VESSEL (biberon), circa 1740

She first started buying in Paris in the 1950s when her husband Sir Michael Postan, professor of Economic History at Cambridge was at the Sorbonne. He was a collector of Chinese ceramics, especially Song monochrome wares, and no doubt this influenced Lady Cynthia’s interest in the Japanese-inspired decoration found on Chantilly porcelain. She was also interested in Vincennes and early Sèvres.

Catalogue no.16
A CHANTILLY KAKIEMON MUSTARD POT and associated cover, circa 1745

It is an exquisite exhibition which is complemented by the finely produced catalogue that accompanies it.

Catalogue no. 47
A VINCENNES OR EARLY SÈVRES COOLER (seau à topette), 1756

http://www.europeanporcelain.com

BOOK REVIEW: The Belvedere Collection

Dec16

Vincennes and Early Sèvres Porcelain From the Belvedere Collection
Joanna Gwilt
£60.00 HB
ISBN 9781851777730
270 x 216 mm 256 pp
1000 col
BIC: AFP

What does one say about this delight of a book which looks at the wonderful porcelain of Vincennes and early Sèvres in what is one of the most comprehensive collections of rare, early pieces from this French porcelain factory? The only answer is to buy it!

JUG (COVER AND HANDLE MISSING)
(pot à bouillon/marmite) Vincennes, soft-paste porcelain c.1746/7
(Belvedere Collection)

It provides a wonderful survey of the early years of the factory by both giving a welcome history and through the objects themselves. One can see that the rival Meissen manufactory influenced the early porcelain decoration and how the factory’s own style evolved and began to include detailed gilding and ground colours. As well as useful and decorative ware there is also a fine group of sculptural figures. Noted artists such as François Boucher and Oudry provided inspiration for the decoration and earlier etchings were also a decorative source.

VASE (?vase Duplessis Urne/?vase Duplessis à fleurs)
c.1750/51Provenance:
Elizabeth Parke Firestone Collection, USA
Exhibited at the Detroit Institute of Arts, 1956, no. 418
(Belvedere Collection)

One can only admire the taste, perseverance and determination that went into putting this stunning collection together. This shows the factory before the opulent wares we more usually associate with Sèvres became more common; a Meissen collector friend said of the book that it was a pleasure to go through, much more so than a book on later Sèvres collections.

Vincennes/Sèvres soft-paste porcelain,
Poeny (paeonia suffruticosa), c.1745–55,
Dia. 10.5cm (Belvedere Collection)

Thanks are due to Joanna Gwilt for her work on this book. She is certainly qualified to write it having been the Assistant Curator at the Royal Collection and also at London’s Wallace Collection. She is also the author of French Porcelain for English Palaces: Sèvres from the Royal Collection (2009). There is also an ebook to accompany the printed version containing additional photographs, showing every piece in close detail. What more can you ask for? As I suggested earlier this should be in every serious enthusiast’s library!

Christie’s, King Street, London – 25 November 2014

Nov20

The John Shearer Collection of Important Meissen, Vincennes and Sèvres, Christie’s, King Street, London SW1, Tuesday, 25 November 2014, 10:30am

John Shearer
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

John Shearer (1924–2010) began collecting in the late 1960s and was helped by one of the most well-respected dealers of the time ‘Bob’ Williams (1923-2014). As this sale shows it must have been a very exciting journey with the emphasis on quality, condition and provenance.

Lot 37
A MEISSEN SLOP-BOWL
CIRCA 1723-24
Painted on one side with merchants and their wares in a palace interior overlooking the sea with a ship on the water beyond, the other with a procession of Turkish figures, soldiers, horses and a caparisoned elephant on the shore and a dressed barge beyond with blackamoors aboard, within oval gilt scroll-edged cartouches with Böttger-lustre panels issuing shadowed iron-red scrolls, the interior painted possibly by J.E. Stadler with an Oriental holding a fan within a similar cartouche below a gilt band border (minor chip to footrim)
6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm.) diam.
Estimate 15,000 – 20,000 British pounds
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Many of the pieces in the collection reflect Shearer’s other interests and passions such as his love of seafaring which is seen in the decoration of some of his Meissen. Similarly various Sèvres pieces show he was also interested in ornithology.

Lot 3
A VINCENNES BALUSTER POT AND A COVER (POT ‘A BOUILLON’ OR ‘MARMITE’)
CIRCA 1746-49, THE CONTEMPORARY COVER POSSIBLY MATCHED
Painted in the Meissen style, one side with boats on a river beside a tower, the other with Turkish and European figures in conversation beside a river, supported on three paw feet (very minor wear to enamels)
12.7 cm. (5 in.) high
Estimate 50,000 – 80,000 British pounds
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

The decoration of very early pieces of Vincennes reflected the style used in Meissen as can be seen in the rare Vincennes pot ‘a bouillon’ circa 1746-49. The Vincennes factory, later Sèvres, very quickly developed its own style which is well represented in the sale and will be familiar to many.

Lot 31
A SEVRES BLEU CELESTE-GROUND SOUP-PLATE FROM THE CATHERINE THE GREAT SERVICE
1778, BLUE INTERLACED L MARK ENCLOSING DATE LETTERS AA, IRON-RED GILDER’S MARK 2000 FOR HENRY-FRANCOIS VINCENT, THE REVERSE APPLIED WITH VARIOUS PRINTED AND SCRIPT COLLECTION AND EXHIBITION LABELS
The centre with a crowned floral and gilt ‘EII’ cypher for Catherine II, Empress of Russia, enclosed by ribbon-tied branches of laurel and myrtle within a circular gilt-framed medallion, the bleu céleste-ground border enriched in gilding with scrolling foliage and reserved with brown-ground oval panels printed and painted en grisaille with mythological vignettes alternating with cameo heads within floral borders with gilt husks, within a gilt lined rim (small restored regilt flat rim chip to front at 7.30 o’clock and reverse at 12 o’clock)
26.6 cm. (10½ in.) diam.
Estimate 70,000 – 100,000 British pounds
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

PUBLIC VIEWING:

Friday 21 November: 12pm – 5pm

Saturday 22 November: 12pm – 5pm

Sunday 23 November: 12pm – 5pm

Monday 24 November: 9am – 4.30pm

Tuesday 25 November: 9am – 10:30am

Lot 40
A MEISSEN CHINOISERIE SCENT-FLASK AND COVER
CIRCA 1730, GREY ENAMEL CLSS MARK AND INDISTINCT LOWER CASE SCRIPT MARK
Of flattened axe-head form, each side painted possibly by C.F. Herold with Oriental figures at various pursuits within axe-head shaped gilt cartouches flanked by single figures on Böttger-lustre and gilt scroll supports, the sides with iron-red figural oval medallions enclosed by iron-red and purple foliage with swag and husk ornament, the oval cover with a carnation finial and gilt scroll border (slight wear to gilding, small chips to leaves of finial)
6¼ in. (15.9 cm.) high
Estimate 40,000 – 60,000 British pounds
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

http://www.christies.com

A GENTLE REMINDER – In Pursuit of the Exquisite: Royal Sèvres from Versailles to Harewood

Oct2

A GENTLE REMINDER – In Pursuit of the Exquisite: Royal Sèvres from Versailles to Harewood, Harewood House, until November 2nd, 2014

Sevres Exhibition 2014, Cinnamon Drawing Room
credit: Jonathan Turner and Harewood House Trust

It would be very wrong of me not to remind you that there is just a month to go to see this fabulous exhibition of the collection of Sèvres that was acquired by the first Earl of Harwood’s eldest son Edward, Viscount Lascelles (“Beau” Lascelles) in the period after the French Revolution.

Garniture of three Flower Pots
credit: Harewood House Trust

The Sèvres factory, which was first started at Vincennes, was a royal factory and some of the pieces on view have royal provenances. It really is worth going along to Harewood House to see both the exhibition and the glorious interiors of the house and as I said I would in my original blog I am going back again within the next month.

Sevres mark and painter’s mark
credit: Harewood House Trust

Please see my original blog published on 16th June 2014

Sevres Exhibition 2014, Cinnamon Drawing Room
credit: Jonathan Turner and Harewood House Trust

harewood.org

Sèvres at Harewood House

Jun16

In Pursuit of the Exquisite: Royal Sèvres from Versailles to Harewood, Harewood House, until November 2nd, 2014

Spring - Harewood House © Simon Warner and Harewood House Trust

To mark the Grand Départ of the Tour de France coming to Yorkshire this year and the ceremonial start being at Harewood House, the House reveals its stunning Sèvres porcelain in a special exhibition that forms part of the Yorkshire Festival 2014. The first time an arts festival has ever preceded a Tour de France.

Pair of Flower pots © Jonathan Turner and Harewood House Trust

It is certainly a great exhibition of Sèvres and what makes it especially so is the fact that it was collected by “Beau” Lascelles (Edward Viscount Lascelles) who was the first Earl of Harewood’s eldest son. The vogue for things French in England had been fueled by the French Revolution and the subsequent dispersal of Royal and other aristocratic collections by the revolutionary government. Lascelles’s contemporaries such as the Prince Regent and the Marquess of Hertford were also buying Sèvres and other French objects at this time.

It was the connection with the French kings and their families that made Sèvres so desirable. The factory had been established by 1740 and received the patronage of both Madame de Pompadour and King Louis XV, and in 1759 the latter took the factory over (it has been owned by the State ever since). Both Louis XV and Louis XVI were active patrons and each year held a sale of Sèvres in their private apartments to those courtiers privileged enough to be invited.

Sevres Exhibition 2014. Flower vases and porcelain flower heads (© John Kirkwood)

The link between Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour’s great interest in Sèvres is highlighted by a loan display of porcelain flower heads similar to ones that they purchased to adorn their residences to the tune of over a million pounds. It is reported that perfume was sprinkled on the porcelain flowers to evoke the natural smell of flowers in winter months.

Sevres Exhibition 2014, Yellow Drawing Room ( © Jonathan Turner and Harewood House Trust)

Talk of flowers makes the perfect place to start talking about the displays for in the Yellow Drawing Room there is a plethora of Sèvres flower vases of differing shapes and they are being delightfully used for the purpose intended which is to hold plants and flowers as these images show.

In the Cinnamon Drawing Room you find a group of useful wares which includes this two-handled covered cup and saucer (c1770) which was used for a variety of milk drinks.

The covered bowl and plateau was used to serve soup during the lengthy toilette that was part of the morning ritual and during which sustenance was needed.

Interestingly this tea set, long thought to have been a gift to Marie Antoinette from the City of Paris, but in fact now, as the catalogue tells us, has been identified in a 1794 Revolutionary inventory of the Château de Saint-Cloud and was probably either in the king or queen’s rooms there.

While there are two pieces from the sublime Louis XVI service, especially the lemon-juice pot, cover and stand I illustrate a pair of vases which are a model introduced in 1775 to mark Louis XVI’s coronation. They, with a central vase (also celebrating the coronation), were sold to the king’s aunt Madame Adelaide in 1777.

Opening of Sevres Exhibition 2014, Lord Harewood, Kristin Scott Thomas and Dame Rosalind Savill
© Sam Atkins and Harewood House Trust

Progressing through the Gallery where there are Sevres ormolu-mounted vases and biscuit figures from the Great Men of France series you reach the Dining Room. Here the table is set with various pieces from a dessert service, together with some English Derby factory pieces in the Sèvres style. Running down the middle of the table is a group of biscuit figures which were first designed for the factory in 1773 and as originally intended are shown as a centerpiece for the table. This particular group was made by Sèvres in 1922 as a wedding gift from the French Government to the Princess Royal and the future 6th Earl of Harewood.

Sevres Exhibition 2014, Music Room (© Jonathan Turner and Harewood House Trust )

Finally in the Music Room are three vases which were originally part of the Harewood collection and were part of a group sold off to help pay estate duties in 1965 (they have been loaned back for this exhibition). Flanking them are two flower vases (the pair to each is in the Royal collection but somehow they were mixed up) which originally belonged to Madame du Barry. Don’t forget to take a close look at the remarkable Musical clock decorated with Sèvres plaques.

I have long been an admirer of Sèvres porcelain and this collection is part of an important chapter in English collecting and a really most exciting celebration of a remarkable porcelain factory. Harewood is full of marvellous Chippendale furniture, great pictures by renowned artists and Adam decoration but I suggest to you that the Sèvres wins hands down because it will be the one thing that many of you will focus on and enjoy its exquisite beauty close up. Possibly I am prejudiced but that’s the way I see it and I am most certainly going back again before this memorable exhibition closes.

I wish to express my thanks to Anna Dewsnap, Alexis Guntrip and Pauline Chandler at Harewood for their kindness and help and of course especially Dame Rosalind Savill CBE for her help.