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Compotier carré: C.29A-1961

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Object information

Current Location: Gallery 26 (Lower Marlay)

Titles

Compotier carré

Maker(s)

Factory: Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Micaud, Jacques-François (Probably)
Painter: Xhrowet, Philippe (Possibly)

Entities

Categories

Description

Soft-paste porcelain compotier, with an apple green ground, painted in enamels with flowers in reserves, and gilded.

Soft-paste porcelain, decorated with a green ground, painting in blue, two shades of green, yellow, pale and dark pink, mauve, purple, grey, and black enamels, and gilded. Square with lobed and curved corners and concave edges down the sides. There is a suspension hole in the footring.The ground is green with four semi-circular reserves framed and linked by scrolls and trailing flowers and foliage in gold. In the centre there is a gold circle entwined with a garland of gold leaves. The reserves are painted in polychrome with bouquets of flowers. There is a dentilated gold band round the edge of the rim.

A pair with C.29B-1961.

Notes

History note: Princess Paley; sold Christie, Manson & Woods, 6-7 June 1929, Catalogue of the Collection of French Furniture Objects of Art and Porcelain formed by Her Highness Princess Paley (Widow of the Grand Duke Paul of Russia, Uncle of the late Czar) removed from The Paley Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, now sold by the Princess Paley and the Members of the Syndicate p. 6, part of lot 16; ? Mallett and Son; from whom purchased by Louis C.G. Clarke in 1933, for £75; bequeathed by Louis C.G. Clarke, 1960.

Legal notes

L.C.G. Clarke Bequest, 1960

Measurements and weight

Height: 4.2 cm
Length: 21.4 cm
Width: 21.4 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Sèvres ⪼ France

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1961-04-27) by Clarke, Louis Colville Gray

Dating

18th Century, third quarter#
Louis XV
Production date: AD 1765 : date letter for 1765

Note

Despite the labels on the dishes, they were attributed to Micaud in Sotheby’s inventory of Clarke’s collection in 1947, and, as Micaud was employed mainly as a flower-painting, and worked on the similar service for the court at Parma, it seems more likely that the X mark is his rather than the X of Philippe Xhrouet père, which is difficult to distinguish from Micaud’s. See Peters, 2005, and Savill, 1988, III, pp. 1049-51 for Micaud, and pp. 1977-8 for Xhrowet.

Square dishes for fruit, compotiers carrés, were made at Vincennes from 1754. The models and moulds for two sizes were listed in the work of that year in the inventory of 1 January 1755, and the first examples are listed in the biscuit firing of 8 May 1754 (Institut de France, MS 5673, p. 22). They were supplied with services, usually in multiples of two, together with compotiers ronds, compotiers ovales, and compotiers coquilles, although not all forms were present in each service.

The decoration of this compotier and its pair is similar to that of a service decorated with a green ground and reserves painted with flowers or flowers and fruit supplied in 1765 to Claude Bonnet probably acting for Louise-Elizabeth of Parma. The service comprised 286 pieces made between 1760-66 with most made in 1763, 1764 and 1765. After the annexation of the duchy to Italy the service was divided between the Palazzo Pitti in Florence and the Palazzo Reale, Milan and was reunited in the Quirinale in Rome in 1893.

School or Style

Rococo

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamels ( blue, two shades of green, yellow, pale and dark pink, mauve, purple, grey, and black) ground colour ( green) gold

Materials used in production

Lead-glaze
Soft-paste porcelain

Techniques used in production

Moulding : Soft-paste porcelain, moulded, and decorated with green ground colour and reserves painted overglaze in blue, two shades of green, yellow, pale and dark pink, mauve, purple, grey, and black enamels, and gilded
Lead-glazing

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: interlaced L's enclosing M

  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Painted in blue enamel
  • Type: Factory mark

Inscription present: mark fof the painter Jaques-François Micaud (1732/5-1811) or Philippe Xhrowet (1725-75)

  • Text: X
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Painted in blue enamel
  • Type: Painter's mark
  • Text: Jif
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Incised
  • Type: Mark
  • Text: Collection of/H.R.H. Princess Paley
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Hand-written in faded black inkink
  • Type: Label
  • Text: SEVRES (printed) ‘Painter Xhrouet/ Date/1765’ (hand-written)
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Printed in black, and hand-written in faded black ink
  • Type: Label
  • Text: BRITISH/ANTIQUE DEALERS ASSOCIATION/ART TREASURES EXHIBITION/CHRISTIES 1932/No. 858
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Paper printed in black
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.29A-1961
Primary reference Number: 93566
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 12 January 2021 Last processed: Monday 18 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Compotier carré" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/93566 Accessed: 2024-12-22 13:37:37

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