Plateau Duplessis
Tray
1761 (made)
1761 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This delightful Sèvres tea service or déjeuner was made in 1761. It is decorated with the fashionable pink ground colour rose, and the white reserves have fanciful military trophies hung with triumphal garlands of flowers. Although the mark of the painter Charles Buteux the elder appears on the underside of only one cup and saucer, it is probable he was responsible for the decoration of the whole set as he specialised in painting trophies. This set is an early example of his trophy painting as during the first years after his arrival in 1757 he experimented with painting animals and cherubs before finding a subject that suited him. The tray was also new as this shape had only been introduced in the preceding year. It is thought the shape matches entries in the Sèvres records for plateau Duplessisafter the chief designer at the factory, Jean-Claude Duplessis. The undulating profile of the tray, and the light-hearted decoration of all the pieces with their rich colours and densely scrolling gilded borders, make this tea service a typical example of the French rococo style. It may seem strange that there is no teapot here to match the other pieces however this was not unusual at the time as silver teapots on burners were often used to boil water for tea.
In the nineteenth century when John Jones bought this set he may have thought it had previously been owned by the mistress of Louis XV, Mme de Pompadour, or by the mistress of Louis XVI, Mme du Barry as this pink ground colour was routinely described as Rose Dubarry or Rose Pompadour by English dealers. The service is too early in date to have any connection to Mme du Barry and there is no evidence to suggest that either lady favoured this colour over the other rich ground colours used at Sèvres. On the death of Mme de Pompadour in 1764, porcelain of all colours was recorded in the inventory of her properties. The service is one of the many wonderful things in the art collection bequeathed to the nation by John Jones on his death in 1882.
In the nineteenth century when John Jones bought this set he may have thought it had previously been owned by the mistress of Louis XV, Mme de Pompadour, or by the mistress of Louis XVI, Mme du Barry as this pink ground colour was routinely described as Rose Dubarry or Rose Pompadour by English dealers. The service is too early in date to have any connection to Mme du Barry and there is no evidence to suggest that either lady favoured this colour over the other rich ground colours used at Sèvres. On the death of Mme de Pompadour in 1764, porcelain of all colours was recorded in the inventory of her properties. The service is one of the many wonderful things in the art collection bequeathed to the nation by John Jones on his death in 1882.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Plateau Duplessis (manufacturer's title) |
Materials and techniques | Soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels and gilt |
Brief description | Porcelain tray, curvilinear rectangle, decorated with trophies painted in enamels, Sèvres porcelain factory, France, 1761 |
Physical description | Tray, soft-paste porcelain, curvilinear rectangle, two foliate ended handles, decorated with military trophies including armour, a flag, fasces, weapons, the plan of a fortress, a copy of the 'code militaire' and a trumpet, painted in enamels and with gilding on a pink ground. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions |
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Credit line | Bequeathed by John Jones |
Object history | John Jones Bequest, Cat. no.119. |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | This delightful Sèvres tea service or déjeuner was made in 1761. It is decorated with the fashionable pink ground colour rose, and the white reserves have fanciful military trophies hung with triumphal garlands of flowers. Although the mark of the painter Charles Buteux the elder appears on the underside of only one cup and saucer, it is probable he was responsible for the decoration of the whole set as he specialised in painting trophies. This set is an early example of his trophy painting as during the first years after his arrival in 1757 he experimented with painting animals and cherubs before finding a subject that suited him. The tray was also new as this shape had only been introduced in the preceding year. It is thought the shape matches entries in the Sèvres records for plateau Duplessisafter the chief designer at the factory, Jean-Claude Duplessis. The undulating profile of the tray, and the light-hearted decoration of all the pieces with their rich colours and densely scrolling gilded borders, make this tea service a typical example of the French rococo style. It may seem strange that there is no teapot here to match the other pieces however this was not unusual at the time as silver teapots on burners were often used to boil water for tea. In the nineteenth century when John Jones bought this set he may have thought it had previously been owned by the mistress of Louis XV, Mme de Pompadour, or by the mistress of Louis XVI, Mme du Barry as this pink ground colour was routinely described as Rose Dubarry or Rose Pompadour by English dealers. The service is too early in date to have any connection to Mme du Barry and there is no evidence to suggest that either lady favoured this colour over the other rich ground colours used at Sèvres. On the death of Mme de Pompadour in 1764, porcelain of all colours was recorded in the inventory of her properties. The service is one of the many wonderful things in the art collection bequeathed to the nation by John Jones on his death in 1882. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 768-1882 |
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Record created | June 7, 2004 |
Record URL |
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