Object Description
Large antique French Sèvres style porcelain dessert service with a travel case
French, Late 19th Century
Smallest (plate): Height 3cm, diameter 23cm
Largest (tureen): Height 17cm, width 25cm, depth 18cm
Case: Height 29cm, width 80cm, depth 54cm
This exquisite French porcelain dessert service embodies the elegance, technical skill, and decorative ambition of late 19th-century Sèvres-inspired production.
By the late 1800s, Sèvres-style porcelain enjoyed a resurgence as Parisian workshops catered to collectors captivated by the grandeur of 18th-century royal manufactories. Particularly admired was the distinctive turquoise ground, celebrated for its luminous depth and the technical expertise required to achieve it. Dessert services emerged as fashionable centrepieces for formal dining, designed to impress guests through coordinated forms, rich coloration, and narrative decoration inspired by earlier courtly traditions.
This set comprises two covered sauce tureens with fixed stands and acorn finials, four comports, four tazze, and eighteen plates, forming a cohesive and visually striking arrangement for dessert presentation. Each piece is lavishly adorned, featuring a central painted figural scene framed within a six-point gilt-scroll cartouche surrounded by floral garlands. The borders are decorated with alternating ribbon-tied scroll panels, all enriched with generous gilding that contrasts beautifully with the vibrant turquoise ground.
The service is preserved in its original tiered, fitted, and padded travel case, highlighting both its value and intended portability. The porcelain is carefully marked, confirming its authenticity and quality.
Altogether, this dessert service exemplifies the charm of late 19th-century French historicism, combining technical excellence with nostalgic sophistication. It remains a remarkable testament to the enduring appeal of Sèvres-style porcelain, equally admired for display as for use.