Sevres Figural Group
Tuesday, August 15th, 2006
This piece is what’s referred to as Biscuit Porcelain, a type introduced at the Vincennes-Sevres porcelain factory in France in 1751. The word ‘biscuit’ in French literally means ‘twice cooked’ and describes undecorated white porcelain with a smooth surface and hence was ideal for the purpose of simulating finely polished marble. It could also be mass-produced in moulds, consequently it was especially suitable for smaller works of art such as statuettes after the antique.
The incised mark on this piece does resemble the Sevres entwined double L’s, but is not authentic. During the second half of the 18th Century when figural groups of this type were produced by Sevres, the mark contained a date letter. The Sevres date letters started with the letter “A” in 1753 reaching “Z” in 1777. After 1777 double date letters starting with “AA” were used, reaching “RR” by the 1790’s It is not uncommon to find false Sevres marks on porcelain, other than the famous Meissen “Crossed Sword’ mark, the Sevres double “L” was probably the most imitated during the 18th & 19th Centuries.
Mike Wilcox
Wilcox & Hall Appraisers