menu
Menu
account_box
Categories
Contact
email Send us a message

Contact

phone By phone

+33 (0)1 42 25 12 79
Tue.-Sat., from 10am to 6pm
+33 (0)6 60 62 61 90
Everyday from 9am to 7pm.

email by Email

Adress: contact@marcmaison.com

share Let's get social

Languages
And also...
My selection
(11 Objects)

My selection (11 Objects)


Small console and overmantel in the Napoleon III style

Dimensions:
Width: 60 cm
Height: 283 cm
Depth: 33 cm

SÈVRES Manufacture, Pair of Chameleon Vases of the Persian Bottle Model, 1874

Ref.15033
SÈVRES Manufacture, Pair of Chameleon Vases of the Persian Bottle Model, 1874

This pair of porcelain vases of the Persian bottle model was made at the Sèvres manufactory in 1874. The “Persian bottle vase” model, created at the Sèvres manufactory in 1874 based on a Persian metal prototype, exists in several versions that vary in color and decoration. It is among the most characteristic of the manufactory’s production under the Third Republic. One can perceive the direct influence of Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887) in the design of these vases. A sculptor and student of David d’Angers, Carrier-Belleuse exhibited at the Salon starting in 1851. He worked in all genres with remarkable inventiveness. He provided several form models to English and Limoges ceramic factories and was the director of art works at Sèvres from 1875 until his death in 1887, completely renewing forms and decorations by introducing a new range of vases that achieved great success at the 1884 Exposition of the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs. These two examples, forming a pair, are ovoid in shape with a long tapered neck with a quarter-round median ring. They feature an elaborate decor of Persian motifs in gold powder, with interlacing and arabesques on the body and decorated fillets on the neck. The lavender color is unique, changing depending on the light it is exposed to, from purple/grey in daylight to pale pink in artificial light. This is due to the use of the so-called “chameleon” paste invented in 1848 by the Sèvres manufactory chemist Alphonse Louis Salvetat for the 1862 Universal Exhibition. A mixture of vanadium oxide and cerium oxide allows this change of color according to its exposure to light. Exceptionally, these vases are neither signed nor bear any mark of the manufactory. However, they have an inscription that leaves no doubt as to their origin or date: “EXPOSITION DES BEAUX-ARTS. / F. BUON / INSPECTOR OF FINE ARTS / Head of the Exhibitions Service / 1874”. Frédéric Buon was already an inspector of Fine Arts in 1870-1871 and later remained an honorary inspector. Therefore, these are commemorative vases, made especially for the 1874 Fine Arts Exhibition. Similar vases to ours, although without an inscription, are referenced in a book published in 2012 by the Brian Haughton gallery, A Sense of Pleasure. A similar model, kept at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, is referenced in Second Empire and Third Republic, from Audacity to Jubilation by Brigitte Ducrot, published in 2008 in the Sèvres, a Ceramic History collection. Another pair of vases, of the same model and with the same glaze, listed by the British Antique Dealers’ Association, bears an inscription similar to the one of interest to us: “EXPOSITION DES BEAUX-ARTS / ROUSSEAU (PH) / Member of the Jury, Painting Section / 1874”. The painter Philippe Rousseau was a painter of landscapes, still-lifes, and animals, who had been awarded several medals at the Salon. In 1874, he was an accomplished and recognized painter, and thus was appointed to the painting jury for the Fine Arts Exhibition. Moreover, a different pair of vases, of a different model but bearing a similar inscription, was sold in 2023: these are Sèvres pedestal vases in blue kiln porcelain enhanced with gold, bearing the inscription “EXPOSITION DES BEAUX-ARTS. / VTE DELABORDE / OF THE INSTITUTE / Member of the Jury. Engraving Section. / 1873”. These vases are signed and dated. The Viscount Henri Delaborde (1811-1899) was first a history painter, then, when he had to give up painting, he became a renowned art historian. For a long time a curator in the Prints Department of the Imperial Library (now the National Library of France), he was naturally asked to be part of the engraving jury in 1873, an event commemorated by these vases and their inscription. These numerous examples of commemorative vases suggest that on the occasion of at least two Fine Arts Exhibitions, in 1873 and 1874, the jury members and other organizers of the event were given a vase from the Sèvres manufactory, probably as a token of appreciation for their involvement in the event. It is even possible that, since the two vases dated 1874 are of the same model, a different model was selected each year for this purpose.

Dimensions:
Height: 55 cm

E. BRUN after Jules-Claude ZIEGLER, Portrait of Louis de Champagne, Count of Sancerre, 1920

Ref.15499
E. BRUN after Jules-Claude ZIEGLER, Portrait of Louis de Champagne, Count of Sancerre, 1920

This portrait of the Count of Sancerre was made by E. Brun in 1920. It is a copy of the work by Jules-Claude Ziegler preserved at the Château de Versailles, as indicated by the inscription placed at the bottom left of the canvas. The original portrait was commissioned for the Galerie Militaire at Versailles in 1834; upon its delivery, it was placed in the Hall of the Constables. Under the reign and initiative of Louis-Philippe (1773-1850), the former residence of the kings of France was transformed into a museum dedicated to “all the glories of France”. In this context, numerous works were commissioned to illustrate the political and military history of France, including this portrait. The copy of the Versailles portrait was likely commissioned by the Sancerre family for their personal residence, the Château de Sancerre, where it was displayed. The constable and his mount occupy the center of the composition. Very dignified, he turns his head to the left, as if his attention has been drawn there – a way for the painter to partially conceal his strabismus, as noted in the Chronicle of the Monk of Saint-Denis. He guides his horse with his left hand while holding a staff of office in his right. He is dressed in armor and chain mail, over which he wears a large red cape and a yellow tunic bearing his family’s coat of arms. The crest is also present on the barding covering the horse’s upper body, surmounted by a comital crown. The horse is shown in motion, its tail in the wind, imparting a sense of movement to the portrait. The scene unfolds against a rocky landscape extending to the horizon. The sky is heavy with clouds at the lower part, transitioning from dark gray to a lighter tone, culminating in a blue sky in the upper third of the canvas. The copy is rigorously identical to the original, with two exceptions: the absence of the artist’s signature on the rock, replaced by the inscription, and the inclusion of a castle in the background. This was likely an express request by the commissioners of this painting: as it was intended to adorn the walls of the Château de Sancerre, it seemed fitting to depict the structure as an integral part of the count’s history. Louis de Champagne, Count of Sancerre (1341/42–1402), was Lord of Charenton, Beaumetz (or Bommiers?), Menetou-Salon, and later Ambrault (1391). Having fought in numerous battles during the Hundred Years’ War, he was named Marshal of France in 1368 and distinguished himself in combat on many occasions. The chronicler Jean Froissart (c. 1337-c. 1410) described him as “a valiant man and a boldly steadfast knight” and “the finest ornament of French chivalry”. He also served as an ambassador to England in 1385, governor of Languedoc from 1390 to 1401, and finally Constable of France in 1397. The Count of Sancerre was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, where his effigy can still be seen today. This effigy, the closest temporal likeness of Louis de Champagne, was likely a source of inspiration for Jules-Claude Ziegler’s portrait. He is depicted here as constable, a title denoting the supreme commander of the king’s armies from the late 12th century, and as Lord of Sancerre, with the château in the background and his coat of arms included in the imagery. This representation aligns with the 19th century’s documentary interest in French history, particularly in the depiction of armor. This historical passion extended into the 20th century, as seen in the creation of this copy, which was accompanied by a frame adorned with neo-Gothic cabbage-leaf moldings.

Dimensions:
Width: 227 cm
Height: 298 cm
Depth: 9 cm