Petit, Jacob (French, 1797-1868)

Jacob Petit, born Jacob Mordecai, was a well-known and celebrated French manufacturer of porcelain in the 19^th Century.

After studying drawing in the studio of Antoine-Jean Gros, a follower of Jacques-Louis David, Petit joined the famous Sevres Manufactory in 1822, where he painted porcelain wares. After travelling and studying throughout Europe , upon his return to France in 1830-31 he published a complete collection of interior decorations. Together with his brother, Petit bought a porcelain factory in Fontainebleau and, later, a workshop in Paris, where his work became distinctive for their ornamental character, delicate, pastel colours and their reinterpretation of the neo-Rococo of the early 19^th Century.