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Sèvres Tray (Plateau de déjeuner)
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Print Details
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This item is no longer available
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Dates
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Circa 1825
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Medium
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Porcelain
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Origin
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France
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Description
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A Sèvres hard-paste tray, Plateau de déjeuner, 1ère grandeur, fond burgos mosaïque en or cartel dans le milieu (sic) paysages et animaux d’apres M. Demarne.” 1825.
The large central painting is of an extensive country landscape, painted by Mme Caroline Robert (née Demarne), after a painting by Jean Louis Demarne (her father). The border of a burgos or purple lustre ground, is richly gilded with an elaborate mosaïque pattern, by Louis Auguste Victor Richard.
Mark: Large printed mark in blue of a large crown over interlaced l’s, in accordance with the period of Louis XVIII (died September 1824), when this tray would have been made, but decorated in 1825.
Mark: incised: 18-9 and a large script L e
Dimensions: diameter 17 3/4 in, 45 cm
Provenance:
Henry Richard Greville, 3rd Earl of Warwick, Warwick Castle.
This plateau ovâle appears in the Sèvres sales records as: “Plateau de déjeuner fond burgos mosaïque en or cartel dans le millieu (sic) paysages et animaux d’apres M. Demarne.” It is exquistly painted by Mme Caroline Robert, (née Demarne : peintre 1819-1827) and gilded by Louis August Victor Richard, (doreur 1818-1848 ; peintre sur verre 1837-1838.)
(ANMS, Carton Pb6, feuilles d’appreciation 1825, reg. Vv1, folio 244 verso no 77).
The plateau was part of a dèjuener consisting of six porcelain pieces. Written in the sales register for October 1829, it shows that the buyer was ‘Milord Warwick’, who acquired it directly from the Sèvres manufactory. The total dèjeuner was priced at 1850 livres. The plateau ovale was priced at 900 livres. (ANMS, Registre Vz5 folio 25 verso).
The whole dèjeuner consisted of:
2 tasse et Sou(coupe) A.B. at 120 livres each, 240 livres - two cups and saucers (Alexandre Brachard’s design)
1 pot a sucre 200 livres - one sugar bowl
1 pot a lait 150 livres - one milk jug
1 theyere ( théière) 240 livres - one teapot
1 Boite …… (?), 120 livres (a box for carrying?)
1 plateau ovale 900 livres - one tray.
Henry Richard Greville 3rd Earl of Warwick (1779-1853) inherited Warwick Castle from his father, the 2nd Earl, in 1816.
This plateau ovale and the pot à sucre were sold in The Syon Park Sale, Sotheby’s May 1997, lot 794.
This sale included properties from Syon Park, Warwick Castle, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland House and Corsham Court.
These appear to be the only surviving pieces from this dèjeuner. The whereabouts of the sugar bowl is unknown.
Jean-Louis Demarne worked at Sèvres from 1808 to 1813 and
then again from 1821 to 1826. However, he is mainly known as an oil painter and his works can be seen in museums throughout the world.
Also known as de Marne, he was born in Brussels in 1752(?). He was a pupil of Gabriel Briard and his early genre was of historical subjects. He later concentrated on the classical landscape genre, being greatly influenced by 17th century Dutch masters such as Aelbert Cuyp, the van Ostade brothers, Paulus Potter and Adriaen van de Velde. All these artists were highly fashionable in Paris at this time and their work commanded high prices.
In 1806, an official letter from Vivant-Denon, the general director of The Napoleon Museum, informed Demarne that the Emperor had chosen him to paint the Entrevue de Napoléon et de Pie VII dans la forêt de Fontainebleau, le 24 novembre 1804. This is now at Fontainebleau.
In 1783 Demarne was made an associate of the Académie Royale but did not become a full member. He showed regularly at the Salon between 1789 and 1827. He seems to have cared little for official honours and was unwilling to seek membership of the Institut de France. He was however awarded the Légion d'honneur by Charles X of France on April 23rd 1828. Jean-Louis Demarne died at Batignolles near Paris on March 24th 1829.
Working for the Sèvres porcelain factory between 1809 and 1813 and then from 1821 and 1816, he is recorded as having made a number of landscapes and figure etchings for the manufacture as well as painting directly onto Sèvres porcelain.
His daughter Caroline Robert, née Demarne, was an accomplished painter in her own right at the Sèvres factory, between 1819 and1827. This piece illustrates her fine painting skills, where she is copying one of her father’s oil paintings.
Literature:
Tamara Préaud et al, The Sèvres Porcelain manufactory, Alexandre Brongniart and the triumph of Art and Industry, 1800-1847, p. 83, for mention and discussion of a painting by Demarne on a Sèvres vase ‘Clodian’ with a Napoleonic theme, “A conscript departing a paternal farm”, and a copy of his painting of “Henri IV returning from the battle of Joyeuse”,(1809) on a vase ‘Cordelier’.
Samuel Wittwer et al, Refinements & Elegance; Early nineteenth-century Royal porcelain from the Twinight Collection, New York, p.306, no.94, & p.410, no. 140, for examples of the plateau ovale.
Examples of Jean Louis Demarne’s paintings of landscapes with cattle can be seen in the following museums:
The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
The Bowes Museum, Castle Barnard
The Wallace Collection, London
The Hermitage, St Petersburg
The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
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Condition
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Excellent
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