Pitcher and lid
Sèvres, France
1869
Maker
Sèvres Factory (established 1740)
Measurements
9 in x 7 in x 5 in (dia)
Materials
Gilded porcelain
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.
Accession Number
1971.1502
Inscription
"S 64" in an oval, "DORE A / N / SEVRES" printed in red, and "69" printed in a dark red are stamped onto the outside bottom.
Condition Notes
The spout is repaired on one side.
Provenance
Probably ex coll. Mrs. E. Tatnall (Mary Corbit) Warner.
Comments
This elegant bulbous pitcher and lid exhibits the high-quality hard-paste porcelain for which the Sèvres was famous, having developed the material (which incorporates kaolin) in 1768. Gilded bands ornament edges, and slenderer stripes highlight the lid, neck, base, and handle. An ornate gilded monogram “N” entangled with scrolls or vines and below a crown decorates the front of the pitcher. The neck flares at the top and supports a domed lid surmounted by a cast floral finial with gilded highlights.
The N monogram appears on several other Sèvres porcelain objects, all of which are associated with Napoleon III (1808-1873) and referred to as the Tuileries service. Under his rule, the state-controlled Sèvres Factory improved its products after a decline during and after the French Revolution.
The dating of this object derives from the number printed below the maker’s mark.
A tureen of this group is part of the Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens owned by Winterthur. It is no. 72 in John C. Austin and Kathryn C. Buhler, Selections from the Campbell Museum Collection (2nd ed., by the museum, 1972).
