Antique Sèvres porcelain Rococo style centrepiece

By the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, this exquisite centrepiece is crafted from wonderfully hand-painted porcelain. Since its foundation in the 18th century , Sèvres had the support of the French royalty, creating pieces for them and other nobility from across the world.

The piece is predominantly coloured in the iconic Sèvres bleu céleste shade first introduced in 1753. This is combined with pure white porcelain, shining gold gilding, and pastel illustrations. The outside of the centrepiece is expertly painted with floral and animal illustrations. Several cartouches can be observed around the bowl, each one filled with different polychrome scenes. Some include floral bouquets while others depict birds on trees among foliage. Each one is framed by a gilt border. The underside of the bowl is filled with the blue shade.

A large circular scene of outstanding quality fills the inside of the piece. With a woodland backdrop, a courtly couple is depicted sitting among flowers and foliage. As they are staring into each other’s eyes, one can imagine the loving words they might be saying to each other. Both are dressed in Rococo-style garments, their brighter shades wonderfully standing out against the green-coloured backdrop. The inside rim is executed in a similar manner as the outside but with flower and fruit illustrations.

The antique stands on a spreading socle base, mostly filled with the bleu céleste ground. Towards the bottom are prominent gilt designs on a white ground. The rim of the stand is gilt with a scalloped pattern above, a design repeated in several places.

The centrepiece is stamped to the base ‘S. 76’ for the manufacture and date as well as ‘Dècorè a Sèvres'.

A very impressive example of Sèvres’s work, this centrepiece bowl is an unmissable addition to one’s porcelain collection.