Very large Sèvres porcelain plaque by Pastier, after Greuze

This superb piece is a result of the collabortion of Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Pastier, (French, 1794-1890), and the Sèvres porcelain factory for which he worked from 1826. It depicts 'L'Accordée de Village' (The Marriage Contract) after a work of 1761 that is currently on display in the Louvre, Paris. The original is by Jean-Baptiste Greuze (French, 1725-1805), a leading history, genre, and mythological painter of the French school in the mid-19th century.

Rendering the artistic qualities of the original in full, this plaque, displaying a richness of variety in tone and colour, conveys the intrigue, intimacy, and psychological depth of this family scene. The original by Greuze is a fine example of his work, whereby he imbued everyday scenes and genre pieces with the drama, grandeur, and importance of more established and traidtional genres such as Classical work and history painting. Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Pastier worked for the Sèvres porcelain factory from 1826, reproducing works by leading artists such as David, Gérard, Isabey and Greuze, for exquisite decorative works such as this.

It features a gilt signature and date to the lower right 'Pastier / d'apres greuze / 1853', and the reverse bears an indistinct inscription in iron red '[?]te a Sevres [indistinct numeral]'. The work itself is set in a large, richly decorated carved giltwood frame. 

Frame: height 71cm, width 89cm, depth 9cm
Plaque: height 42cm, width 58m, depth 1cm