Masterpieces of 18th Century Sevres Porcelain from the Hermitage Collection

On 8 December 2005 an exhibition opened featuring masterpieces of 18th century Sevres porcelain from the Hermitage collection. More than 200 works from the Sevres Manufactory are displayed, most of them being shown publicly for the first time.

The State Hermitage owns one of the best collections of 18th-19th century French porcelain in the world, and a position of very special importance is occupied by 18th century Sevres porcelain: this was the period of greatest prosperity and artistic achievement of the celebrated manufactory. The collection started with a diplomatic gift from King Louis XV of France to Russian Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. One of the items on display is a small oval tray decorated with painted purple garlands of flowers and depicting cupid asleep in a landscape; this is the only remaining item from numerous presents sent by Louis XV.

Dinner and dessert services hold a special place of prominence in the exhibition. Among them are the Cameo Service, Cabbage Leaves, Partridge Eye and Green Service. Ordered by Catherine the Great as a gift to Prince Grigory Potemkin, the Cameo Service arrived in Petersburg in 1779 and comprised more than 700 items. The first Classicist service of the Sevres Manufactory was made from specially prepared moulds that were never used again. It was decorated with images of cameos from originals dating back to Antiquity in Louis XV’s collection and the floral monogram of Catherine II.

The Green Service in the Hermitage collection is considered by researchers to be part of the first service from the Sevres Manufactory which was given in 1759 by Louis XV to Frederik V, King of Denmark and Norway. It was grandiose both in terms of the number of separate items and in the richness of the decoration.

Beginning in1749 the technique of producing porcelain figures in biscuit, matte unglazed and unpainted white porcelain appeared in Europe. One may see in the exhibition a figurine entitled Boy with a Vessel by Falconet based on a drawing by Boucher as well as the statuette Threatening Cupid (mid-1750’s) made in this technique.

A scholarly catalogue of the collection of 18th century Sevres porcelain has been prepared in time for the exhibition (Publishing House of the State Hermitage, 2005). The 480-page long catalogue contains 1700 illustrations. The compilers of the catalogue and authors of the introductory articles are N.Yu. Bikyukova and N.I. Kazakevich. Ya. E. Vilensky and M.Z. Lerman, researchers in the State Hermitage’s Department of Western European Art, took part in the overall preparation of the catalogue.

The curators of the exhibition are N.Yu. Biryukov, doctor of art history, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts, and chief researcher of the State Hermitage’s Department of Western European Art, and Ya. E. Vilensky, researcher of the State Hermitage’s Department of Western European Art.

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The exhibition catalogue