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We are one of the UK's premier furniture dealers and have been trading in London for four decades. We specialise in English and Continental furniture, silver, porcelain, and decorative items both antique and contemporary. We exhibit our collection in 25,000 square feet of elegant showrooms in our large warehouse very close to the centre of London.

Antique French Sevres Porcelain Ormolu Mounted Planter Jardiniere 19th Century

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This is a superb antique French Louis XV revival ormolu and Sevres porcelain mounted, king wood jardiniere, circa 1860 in date.

This beautiful shaped planter has splendid ormolu mounts enclosing two enchanting hand-painted and gilded Sevres porcelain plaques with Bleu Celeste borders, one featuring a charming winged cherub with gilded highlights and the second plaque with a decorative spray of flowers.

It has an attractive pierced ormolu gallery, sumptuous ormolu handles and mounts and rasied on a plinth base.,

It comes with its original liner.

The craftsmanship and finish are second to none.

Condition:

In really excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 27 x Width 52 x Depth 31

Dimensions in inches:

Height 11 inches x Width 1 foot, 8 inches x Depth 1 foot

Sevres Porcelain
traces its roots in France to early craftsmen who had small manufacturing operations in such places as Lille, Rouen. St. Cloud, and most notably Chantilly. It is from Chantilly that a cadre of workers migrated to the Chateau de Vincennes near Paris to form a larger porcelain manufactory in 1738.

French King Louis XV, perhaps inspired by his rumoured relationship with mistress Madame de Pompadour, took an intense interest in porcelain and moved the operation in 1756 to even larger quarters in the Paris suburb of Sevres. Sevres was also conveniently near the home of Madame de Pompadour and the King's own Palace at Versailles.

From the outset the king's clear aim was to produce Sevres Porcelain that surpassed the established Saxony works of Meissen and Dresden. Though the French lacked an ample supply of kaolin, a required ingredient for hard-paste porcelain (pate dure), their soft-paste porcelain (pate tendre) was fired at a lower temperature and was thus compatible with a wider variety of colours and glazes that in many cases were also richer and more vivid. Unglazed white Sevres Porcelain "biscuit" figurines were also a great success. However, soft-paste Sevres Porcelain was more easily broken. Therefore, early pieces of Sevres Porcelain that remain intact have become rare indeed.

The Sevres Porcelain manufactory always seemed to be in dire financial straits despite the incredibly fine works it produced. In fact, the king's insistence that only the finest items be created may have contributed to the difficulties. Only a limited number of European nobility could afford the extravagant prices demanded for such works. King Louis XV and eventually his heir, the ill-fated Louis XVI, were obliged to invest heavily in the enterprise. Ultimately, the Sevres Porcelain Factory produced items under the name of "Royal" and thus the well-known Sevres mark was born. King Louis XV even mandated laws that severely restricted other porcelain production in France so as to retain a near monopoly for his Sevres Porcelain. The king even willingly became chief salesman for the finest of his products, hosting an annual New Year's Day showing for French nobility in his private quarters at Versailles. He eagerly circulated among potential buyers, pitching the merits of ownership and policing the occasional light-fingered guest.

Sevres Porcelain may have indeed given the makers of Meissen and Dresden a run for their money by the end of the 18th Century but for the French Revolution. By 1800, the Sevres Porcelain Works were practically out of business due to the economic devastation of the new French Republic.

About the time when Napoleon Bonaparte named himself Emperor of France (1804), a new director was named for the Sevres Porcelain Manufactory. Alexandre Brongniart, highly educated in many fields, resurrected Sevres Porcelain. Soft-paste porcelain was eliminated altogether thanks to the earlier discovery of kaolin near Limoges. For four decades until his death, Brongniart presided over monumental progress for Sevres Porcelain, catering not only to Napoleon himself, but at last to include the more financially profitable mid-priced market in the emerging middle class.

Ormolu - (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'.

The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object.

Our reference: A3823

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Write to us:

Regent Antiques

Manor Warehouse

318 Green Lanes

London N4 1BX

By Underground:

Take Piccadilly line to Manor House station.

Go to top of escalators and turn left.

Take exit 7 and walk straight on for 10 metres.

Manor Warehouse is on the right.

By road:

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Please make all cheques payable to "Regent Antiques."

Bank details: Regent Antiques - BBVA - Account: 05701615 - Sort: 23-59-11

Shipping and returns

We ship worldwide.

Postage and packing for:

Mainland UK: FREE

European Union: £25.00

North America: £35.00 (Please note that this is in Pounds Sterling, not US Dollars)

Rest of world: £40.00

If you require shipping to a location for which a shipping charge is not provided, please ask for a quote prior to bidding.

Williams and Hill Forwarding is our preferred shipping agent for our valuable and fragile furniture items delivered within the UK.

After you purchase, we will make all the arrangements to get your item to your door.

Stephen Morris Shipping is our preferred specialist for delivery outside of the UK.

Increased shipping costs incurred when purchasing additional items are generally quite low.

For the best value, we recommend offsetting this cost by purchasing multiple items.

We require that someone be home on the agreed delivery day if applicable, otherwise a redelivery fee will apply.

In accordance with Distance Selling Regulations, we offer a 14-day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the item.

The item must be returned in its original packaging and condition.

Unless the item is not as described in a material way, the buyer is responsible for return shipping expenses.

Buyers are fully responsible for any customs duties or local taxes that may be incurred on items sent outside of the United Kingdom, and we are not responsible for any delays in shipping or in the customs procedures of any jurisdiction, which are completely beyond our control.

Please be advised that claims for damage with certain carriers can sometimes take several months to resolve, and we would be grateful for your patience and cooperation throughout the process.

Returns will be processed and refunds issued within 2-3 business days of receipt.